A Cold Heart Warmed Over: A Sesshomaru Story
by Dulcetvoice
Summary: Yuki is trapped in the past and has now unwillingly become the companion of a cold hearted demon. Sessh x OC REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!
1. Chapter One: Jump into the Past

TO ALL YOU NEW READERS... I would really appreciate it if you still reviewed on the story about your likes and dislikes of it! Just because the story is complete, doesn't mean I don't love the love!

**Disclaimer: **If I _**did**_ own the characters of Inu Yasha, I would use them to do my evil bidding and/or to entertain me.

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**Chapter One: Jump Into the Past**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Yuki lazily reached for the noisome alarm clock and quickly turned it off, slowly opening her rare violet eyes as she awoke in her room. However, she did not immediately rise. For some reason unknown to her, just getting out of bed was usually the hardest part of her entire day. "Yuki Miyamota!" came the sound of her mother's voice, "Get out of bed right now young lady! Your breakfast is getting cold!" Hearing this lifted the sixteen-year-old's groggy spirits as she smiled and stretched at the thought of the meal that was awaiting her in the kitchen. There was absolutely no better reason to leave her warm, comfortable bed than breakfast made by her darling mother... truly. Yuki adored her mother's cooking! Any meal prepared by Ms. Miyamota could make anyone jump for joy and do back flips across town!

So, Yuki sprang out of bed and reached for the clothes that she had set out for herself the night before: a white and green school-girl's uniform that she of course wore every school day of the week. Moments later she was checking herself in the mirror, just like she did every day. And just like she did every day, she found nothing pleasing about herself. Exactly what was it about her that seemed to repel boys and any other sort of peer? Yuki sighed. The crimped green skirt was too short for her liking, as it always had been and as it always would be. If there was one thing she hated about school, it was not the fact that she had little or no friends. It wasn't that she was teased about being a "brain". It wasn't even that all of the after school activities she went to sucked up what little social life she had. In fact, what she positively detested about school was the short skirts that the boys were always looking up. As mentioned, Yuki wanted boys to notice her, but not like that.

Finally, the last thing that Yuki did to improve her appearance was to brush the bed head out of her mid back length raven hair, then put it into a loose and low ponytail so that it wouldn't be in her way throughout the day. "Good morning Yuki. You want milk or orange juice?" asked Ms. Miyamota.

"Orange juice, please," was her daughter's reply.

This was an average day for Yuki. It started out no differently than so many days before this one that had taken the same exact pattern: wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, eat lunch alone or not even bother with it, do some after school activity, go home, do homework, find a filler activity, go to sleep. It was the same thing over, and over, and over again. There seemed to be no end!

Yuki sighed at this dreadful truth as she walked through the gated entrance to the hell that she called 'school'. But just then as she was just entering through the gate, the day's routine course was suddenly broken as she heard a voice calling after her. "Hey Yuki, wait up!" it beckoned.

Instantly Yuki obeyed the request as if it were an order, stopping and turning around to see a classmate, Kagome Higurashi, running towards her. Yuki raised a confused and curious eyebrow at the approaching peer, this disturbance in The Pattern a strange one in her opinion. What were the odds? She and Kagome had never really ever spoken to each other, much less called after the other in such a way that Kagome had just done. In fact, Yuki was surprised that Kagome even knew her name.

Then when the other girl finally caught up to Yuki, she didn't waste time with a polite greeting or friendly conversation. No, instead she got straight to the point and she instantly asked, "You wanna come over to my house after school to help me study? I would really appreciate it since you're like, the smartest kid in our class and I've been really falling behind in everything lately."

Yuki could only stand in her spot, statue still, and stare at Kagome for a bewildered moment, hardly believing that one of the most popular girls in school had even noticed her in the first place. But Yuki was finally able to snap out of the trance once she realized what she was doing, standing and looking like an idiot. "Well... I'm sure I'm not the smartest..." she replied, "…but I could help you out, I guess."

Then, as if on cue, the bell rang throughout the campus grounds right on time. "Cool," Kagome smiled, "It really means a lot to me."

Then the two girls hurried of to class… together.

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After school, Yuki walked with Kagome to her house, conversing as if they were old friends even though they hardly knew anything about the other girl. Was this what it was like to actually come over to someone else's house? The last time Yuki could actually remember going over to someone's house before was when she went to sleep over at her cousin's while her mother went out of town to attend a funeral. It had been totally different than what was happening now. Now, she was actually having fun! Even while they studied the girls smiled to each other, especially Yuki since she had to desperately try to ease some of Kagome's stress as they moved on to Geometry, obviously one of Kagome's least favorite subjects.

But it hadn't taken very long for something very strange and bizarre to happen. About half an hour into the arduous study session, Yuki began to hear a sort of tapping noise coming from an unknown source. The distraction made her instantly look up from her text book to see Kagome staring nervously out the window, her eyes filled with panic. Of course, this caused Yuki to also glance over in curiosity. Unfortunately, she was denied to see the source of the sound for Kagome had hurriedly risen from her seat and gone to the window, blocking Yuki's view.

In the next moment she seemed to lean out the window and reach for something. This action was followed by a slight thudding sound below on the ground, accompanied by a few grunts of pain outside. Had Kagome just pushed someone off of the awning and onto the dirt? "What was that for?!" a male voice yelled, almost answering Yuki's question for her.

"I have someone over, come back later!" Kagome called back, a mountain of authority in her voice.

Yuki waited until the other girl had closed the window to ask, "What was that about?"

Kagome sat down as her eyes darted around nervously. "Uh...um...the guy next door has a crush on me and is always climbing up to my window," she answered, although it sounded more like an unsure question and a lying cover-up than a statement. Kagome apparently wasn't good at spontaneously lying.

But since the hesitant reply instantly signaled Yuki that Kagome didn't want to tell her the truth, she decided to let it slide. It wasn't her business anyway. "Oh...I see..." she said, then tried to change the subject for Kagome's sake, "Can I use your phone to call my mom really quick?"

Kagome gave a sigh of relief when Yuki accepted the poor excuse and nodded yes. Slowly Yuki rose from her chair and left the teenager's bedroom to the use the phone that she had noticed earlier while walking in the hallway. After slowly dialing the home phone number, Yuki then looked out the window to occupy her mind while waiting for her mother to answer the phone. But as she noticed the distance from the top of the awning to the ground on which the unseen boy had landed, she concluded that it was far beyond the distance any average teenage boy could get onto, let alone fall off of with only a grudge. And there was no ladder, no vine, no way whatsoever to reach the spot that he had fallen from. So how had he done it? How had he come to that place from which he was removed?

Then the sound of her mother's voice recording on the answering machine picking up brought Yuki out of her thoughts. She then left a laconic message, explaining everything about her absence and why she would be home late.

When the two students were finally finished studying a few hours later, Yuki was putting her books and supplies away into her backpack and saying goodbye when she noticed someone just outside of Kagome's window; it was a rather strange looking youth. The boy's hair was not only far longer than the average person's, but it was also the unnatural color of silver! Completely and totally silver! Not only that, but he was dressed oddly too, wearing red, traditional clothing that almost seemed to suit his classic appearance. But the most peculiar thing of all that Yuki noticed was that he had dog ears on top of his head instead of human ones on the side of it!

The man peered into the room with eyes of gold and grew frightened and worried at being seen by a stranger. Kagome looked over at the window to investigate the shocked looks that Yuki was sending over towards it. Then, at spotting the new presence she tensed, then turned back to Yuki as she started rushing her out of the door saying, "Yeah well, thanks a lot for helping me out! See ya at school!" And before Yuki could ask any questions, Kagome slammed the door in her face.

But neither Yuki nor her curiosity would be disposed of so easily! So, she devised a plan. It was a plan so cunning, so daring, so dangerous that it had to be executed with care and precision. And so, she began immediately: she found a place where she could see both the front and the back of the house and hid in the bushes to await some action that would fulfill her curiosity. It's not like Yuki had anything better to do anyway than to see what was going on with Kagome and that... boy. Now that she thought about it, Yuki couldn't help but question if that man had even been HUMAN!

But finally Kagome exited her home through the back door, wearing her backpack that was looking like it was far too overloaded to just be carrying school supplies. She and the boy rushed into a small shrine that Yuki hadn't seemed to notice before now. Unfortunately, when Yuki ran after the duo and went inside to snoop about the situation, she found that there was nothing inside the walls except an ancient well. Yuki walked curiously and cautiously towards it and looked down into it to see if they were possibly hiding in it, but alas, it was too dark to clearly see the bottom.

By this time, Yuki's curiosity had temporarily banished her common sense, so she jumped in to investigate if they were indeed at the bottom of the bottomless well. It was only as she was falling that Yuki realized that there was probably nothing at the bottom to break her fall, so she began to worry frantically about the result. What had she gotten herself into? Fotunately, her troubled mind was instantly interrupted by the purple lights that were surrounding her, filling the darkness around her. When it died down she found that she landed softly at the bottom, her feet seeming to float to the dirt floor.

As she looked around once more, the teenage girl realized something had changed: sunlight was shining down into the well when only moments earlier it had been shaded by the shrine. Also, there were now vines hanging down inside. Now, an athlete Yuki was not, but she managed to climb up said botanical ropes to the outside. The first thing that she noticed was that she was no longer in the confinements of the small structure outside of Kagome's home. In fact, there was no house, street, or city in sight; only beautiful green grass and a thick earthy forest. It was as if society had not even touched this place that Yuki could have only dreampt about before! Alas, along with a lack of society there was also a lack of Kagome. Not even the strange boy was in sight.

Yuki glanced around in panic. What would she do now? She knew not of where she was, let alone how to get home or what dangers resided here. That's when she spotted salvation: a dirt path that entered the forest. Upon seeing it, Yuki immediately made her way over to it, hoping that it would lead her to someone that could help her get out of this place and return home, for this surely was no home that she knew of.

But as she wandered the path, Yuki took in the habitat's earthy scenery: the trees that were so thick they only let an occasional ray of sunlight shine through, the bushes where little woodland creature probably dwelt, the random positioning of each boulder, each flower, and each patch of grass almost seemed as if it was not casual, but planned to add to the wonder of this place. It all seemed so serene. It all seemed so perfect. Maybe there was nothing to fear in this place after all...

And as she gawked around at the magnificent sights, Yuki hadn't even noticed the village that was coming into sight, small and quiet as it was. She did notice eventually though, the medieval town that marked the first sign of possible aid. It was a small community filled with citizens dressed in peasant garb, as if this were a time hundreds of years ago instead of the era that Yuki knew. A farming town of old is what it seemed to be.

However, for Yuki the matter of the possible time skip was not what worried her. What made her the most uneasy was the attention she was receiving from those whom passed her. All of the locals seemed to be pointing and staring, whispering to a fellow onlooker as the newcomer walked by. Yuki's cheeks burned as they darkened with embarrassment from all of the notice she was drawing to herself. What bothered her the most though was that she didn't even know what on earth she was doing to cause such a fuss. Hadn't they ever seen a teenage girl before?

Luckily she soon spotted a familiar face. Kagome and the dogman were sitting idly with a few others in front of a hut, talking with one another nonchalantly. So Yuki hurried over, eager to find out what this place was. At first, no one seemed to notice her as she approached the group. "Uh...Kagome," Yuki interrupted the discussion as she came to them, drawing all eyes onto her, "What is this place?"

Kagome stared at her peer with wide and disbelieving eyes, as if she had just been shown the most shocking of sights. "Yuki?" she asked, "How did you get here?"

Looking down at the ground in recollection and in avoidance of the stares of these new strangers, Yuki shook her head. "I don't know," she replied, "But can you please tell me where we are?"

So, she was told everything about how Yuki had come to be there, that she was now in Feudal Japan, and why Kagome was there herself. But by the time Kagome had finished her tale, Yuki's violet eyes had grown large as they had been filled with amazement and her jaw had dropped in total disbelief. But the startled girl soon recovered and asked, "Okay, so who're all these people?" And she pointed to the dogman and company.

Kagome smiled cheerfully. "This is Inu Yasha," she answered gesturing to the dogman. Then, she continued the introductions and went around the circle of allies, "This is the monk: Miroku, the demon slayer: Sango, and the fox demon: Shippo."

Yuki smiled and went behind Inu Yasha, finally having worked up the courage to begin to pull on his dog ears to double-check that they were real. "Pleasure to meet you," she told him, "Are these things real?"

The half demon's eyebrow twitched with impatience at the new acquaintance's forwardness. "Can you get her offa me?" he asked, folding his arms in front of him. It was another minute or so until Yuki finally grew bored with playing with Inu Yasha's dog ears and was able to leave them be. That's when she took Shippo into account for the first time.

She let out a squeak of excitement as she rushed over to him, pulled the small kitsune onto her lap and began to play with his animal features. "He's so cute!" she smiled, petting the child lovingly. But unlike Inu Yasha, Shippo seemed to enjoy the attention he received from Yuki.

"Yuki was your name, right?" the monk questioned, moving so that he was now sitting next to her. In response, she nodded to him. "Well, Yuki," he began lowering his head and closing his eyes as he spoke, "I have a request for you."

Yuki's eyebrows raised with interest as she stared over at the holy man. That's when she made the mistake of replying with, "Anything, good sir monk." Miroku smiled and snatched Yuki's hands from their work on Shippo. The confused girl looked from her hands that were now held in Miroku's to the face of Miroku himself, then back again.

"Would you do me the honor of bearing my children?"

A light blush formed on her cheeks as she noticed for the first time just how warm the monk's hands were. Yuki had been so surprised by this request that she didn't know what to say. "We… just met," she pointed out.

"That may be so, but I believe in love at first sight!" Miroku countered, a friendly smile strewn across his face.

Then his grip was loosened as the companion named Sango brought a mighty fist down upon Miroku's head. "Watch yourself, monk," she growled as Yuki pulled her hands away from the lecher's.

Now having a desperate need to get away from this man, she turned to Kagome. "Kagome," she said, "Would it be all right if I took a little walk? I would like to see more of this place."

Nodding, she replied, "Yeah. But someone should probably go with you. Shippo? Sango? Would you?" Both nodded and came to their feet, as did Yuki.

Yuki couldn't tell what it was exactly about that forest that she loved so much, but she knew that unlike what the perverted Miroku had spoken of, this WAS indeed love at first sight. Maybe she just wouldn't go back to her own time at all. Maybe she would just remain here for the rest of her life, living in the calm of the trees. Ha! If only... If only she didn't have to go home to a world of responsibilities. After all, she couldn't just disappear from existence! People would wonder where she went. There would be inquiries, rumors, maybe even official investigations. No. As much as she wanted to Yuki couldn't simply decide to live here for the rest of her life. Instead, the best that she could do at the moment was to enjoy this place as best as she could before she had to return home.

But the peaceful state of mind that Yuki was experiencing was ended by a rustle of leaves from a bush that was nearby. The three stopped in their tracks and looked around for what had caused the disturbance. It didn't take long for them to discover the source of the noise because he was standing in plain sight. A tall, cold looking man was approaching, adorned in fine clothing and even finer armor. His white hair reminded Yuki as much of the moon as the blue mark on his forehead that was one of many other strange symbols on his body. He stopped and stared at the ensemble with emotionless golden orbs, freezing Yuki's heart with fear and terror.


	2. Chapter Two: The First Encounter

**Chapter Two: The First Encounter **

At first, the stranger seemed to stare directly at Yuki, looking her up and down, examining her for the first time. It made poor, shy Yuki shrink and look away at the ground with uneasiness at being judged in such a way by a complete stranger. But Sango stood strong with eyes glaring at the man and her hand on her boomerang, ready to whip it into action at any moment if the need should arise. "Sesshomaru," the exterminator said simply and broke the thick silence, "Watch yourself."

The man Sango had identified as Sesshomaru didn't seem the least bit threatened by the ice in her voice for he didn't seem in a hurry to turn his attention away from Yuki, bringing relief to her, and focusing on the somewhat familiar face of the human. "What are you doing here human?" he asked, ignoring her demand, "And where is that filthy half breed?"

Suddenly Shippo jumped down from his perch on Yuki's shoulder so that he could scurry and hide behind her, cowering from the tall figure. He knew that this was no time to be brave, which Yuki guessed he would have done if had been any other being. And she didn't blame the little one for hiding. This Sesshomaru fellow gave off a very threatening and powerful impression that was so intimidating that Yuki herself wanted to run and hide.

This impression was then somewhat lessened as a little girl of about six or seven years ran into the clearing, if it was not completely dashed to smithereens. This girl was too cute and happy looking to allow her ally's façade to continue. Shortly after entering the clearing, the child was followed shortly by a… clothed toad carrying a staff? What WAS that thing anyways? It was hard for Yuki to say...

But the girl stopped by the man and looked over at Yuki in wonder. She then pulled on Sesshomaru's sleeve, put her hand to the side of her mouth, and whispered a question just loud enough for Yuki to make out, "Lord Sesshomaru, who's the pretty girl with Inu Yasha's friends?"

Yuki blushed at the compliment. To be praised so openly was a new experience for the older girl, but the smile that she was trying so hard to hide behind a raised hand showed that she slightly and secretly enjoyed it.

Sesshomaru looked down at the little girl with the same emotionless expression and replied, "She is most likely only another human that he is traveling with, Rin."

By now, Sango's hand had tensed and tightened with impatience on the handle of her weapon. "What do you want Sesshomaru?" she questioned, a demanding tone in her voice.

Slowly Sesshomaru focused his attention back to the minor threat before him. "I believe I was the one who asked that question first," he skillfully dodged, "But if your puny mortal mind does not recall, then I will ask it again. What are you doing here?"

And for some reason, Yuki was able gather an immense amount of courage that she never knew dwelt inside of her step forward and answer for her friends, "I just wanted to go for a walk. Sango and Shippo where just escorting me." It was immediately after she finished this statement that Yuki gave a gasp in the recollection of Shippo and noticing that he was no longer clinging to her leg. Yuki started looking around for him, but he was nowhere in sight. This was when she began to worry about the little kitsune and started calling for him. There was no answer.

In desperation and panic that Shippo could now be lost to them, Yuki turned and blindly ran into the forest calling his name, but there was still no sight or reply of the fox. Yuki ran blindy through the trees, scouring the trees for the child, praying that he would go unharmed.

All of this frantic searching finally got to Yuki's mortal body so she was forced to stop and rest. And after sitting underneath the good shelter of a tree, Yuki finally realized the danger that she could also be in. She was alone in an unfamiliar forest that was teeming with who-knew-what. But regardless of her concerns for herself, Yuki was more concerned about everyone else. How long would it be until they finally came looking for her? How long would it take them to find her? Would Shippo be safe?

Luckily, the exhaustion of the search finally caught up with her. It dominated her body, making it weak and begin to ache. Soon, it finally spread to her mind, beginning to prepare it for rest. Then, her eyes finally fell closed, feeling as if they were made of lead.


	3. Chapter Three: Taken Prisoner

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Inu Yasha, I would be the most popular kid in school!... But I don't, so I'm not.

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**Chapter Three: Taken Prisoner **

As Yuki slowly reentered the waking world, she ran a hand through her raven hair that had fallen from the ponytail sometime during her mad quest for her new friend, Shippo. Then as her mind slowly gained awareness, her ears piqued to the sound of the crackling of a fire. Had Kagome and the others already rescued her?

Slowly she opened her eyes and sat up from the sleeping position that she had taken sometime during the night and she looked around at her setting. Yuki was alone in an empty campsite with nothing occupying it but the fire that burned to keep her warm. But the fire assured Yuki that she was now safe and found for who else but her rescuers could have lit it? It relaxed her so that she now let a small smile grace her features as she laid her head back down onto her arms. She was still a little tired from the events of her visit to this place.

And just when she was just about to drift back to sleep, Yuki began to hear the footsteps of the approaching party. At first, she didn't even bother to open her eyes, knowing that it was only her new friends returning. But she was unknowingly mistaken.

Just then, the voice of the cute little girl named Rin sounded in Yuki's ears, causing her eyes to snap open. She quickly sat up in her spot and looked to see the group containing Rin, Sesshomaru, and the toad approaching the clearing.

Then, seeing that Yuki was now awake and alert, Rin ran over to the older girl with that cheery and smiley disposition of hers. "Hello, I'm Rin," she greeted, "Would you like to play with me?"

For a few moments, Yuki could only sit frozen in her spot, still in shock that these people that had come were not her companions at all but their enemies. However, not wanting to deny the sweet child of a playmate, Yuki gave an automatic nod of agreement.

Rin clapped her hands in excitement. "Yay!" she exclaimed, "Is hide-and-go-seek okay?"

Yuki could only nod again. Rin smiled and pulled on Yuki's hand, beckoning her to get to her feet. Automatically Yuki obeyed to the ushering of the child, "Okay then let's go!"

The event of Rin so suddenly asking Yuki to play when she didn't even know where she was just happened to be a little much for Yuki right then. But Rin didn't seem to notice Yuki's daze because she then questioned, "Do you wanna count first?"

Once again, a nod answered the question. "Okay," Rin smiled, "Count to 30 and come find me." Then, she ran off to find her hiding space.

When the presence of the girl was no more, Yuki was finally able to snap out of her amazed trance. She then awkwardly leaned her arm on the tree that she had been sleeping under and rested her forehead against it. Yuki then began the countdown, "One…Two…Three…"

It was when she reached about the count of fifteen that Yuki felt a strong hand place itself gently on her shoulder, the contact sending chills down her neck and spine and making her stop her countdown. Then Sesshomaru's tickling wind of a whisper sounded in her ear, "Listen, these are the rules: If you do not anger me, you will not get hurt. If you try to run away from me, I will be very annoyed with you. So it is in your best interest that you believe me when I say that you do not want that. Do you understand?"

Yuki froze in fear that was as cold as Sesshomaru's icy tone. This man was absolutely petrifying in his demands! "Mhm," she was able to mumble, "I understand." Yuki had hoped that hearing these words of agreement would give Sesshomaru satisfaction enough to leave her, but he was not in any hurry to do so.

Now he was REALLY making her feel uncomfortable by being this close to her, and not in any way that could have been good. Instead of leaving, which was what Yuki wanted, he did the complete opposite: he leaned in closer, burying his nose and mouth into Yuki's hair and inhaling its sweet fragrance and causing Yuki's heart to stop once more.

"Wh-what are you d-doing?" The question had slipped out of Yuki's lips accidentally. She had not meant to voice her thoughts and she especially didn't want to know the answer.

It was just her luck that she received one nevertheless. "I'm picking up your scent," he replied in that hushed and sadistic tone that really worried Yuki, shaking her to the core, "So in the event that you should run away, I will easily be able to find you." He then quickly pulled away and turned his back to her. "By the way," he called as he walked away, "It has been thirty seconds."

He then took a seat on the ground underneath a tree, his arm resting on a propped up leg. Yuki took this chance of looking for Rin to rush away from her new captor. What was she going to do now? She had just become a prisoner!

Unfortunately for our heroine, the search for Rin didn't last long so the two were forced to return to camp where the tyrant Sesshomaru and the imp, whose name Yuki would later learn was Jaken, waited.

But just as they entered the campground, the little imp was already saying that lunch was ready. Yuki sat next to Rin by the fire as everyone but Sesshomaru began to eat in silence. This peace was the ideal time for Yuki to sort through her thoughts and try to get the situation figured out. _'Why does Sesshomaru want me to stay here with him when he obviously doesn't even seem to like me?'_ she pondered as she reviewed the treatment shown to her, _'He treats me as if I was an object or something...'_ Then another dreadful thought occurred to her, even worse than the thought of the first, _'What if he __**does**__ like me? Oh God! That would explain his weird behavior earlier! Is that why he's keeping me?'_

But Yuki's silent fears were then interrupted by Sesshomaru as he informed her on one embarrassing act: "Girl, you are blushing."

Yuki looked up from the spot in the fire that she had been staring at to see Sesshomaru sitting as still as a statue and simply looking off in the distance somewhere to his right. Staring at him with raised eyebrows, Yuki checked herself and found that her face did feel a little warm. So now that she knew that she had been caught with her cheeks turning crimson, she felt all the more embarrassed, causing her cheeks to go to an even darker shade of red. But Yuki didn't want Sesshomaru to see her like this, so she turned her face away from him and tried to regain control of her skin tone, finding it very difficult to do.

By the time she had finally been able to discharge the unnatural color from her cheeks, the meal was over with. Then once again, Rin asked if Yuki if she wanted to play with her. This time, Yuki managed not only a nod, but she also replied with a, "Sure."

Smiling that cute little grin of hers, Rin took Yuki's hand and led her straight to another clearing. This one was much, much larger than the one they were staying in and it was also filled with grass and flowers that lifted Yuki's spirit upon sight. "Tag!" Rin shouted as she tapped Yuki, then bolted away, "You're it!"

This was the first time that Yuki was actually able to smile out of joy during her trip there. And so she reacted, chasing after Rin and playing with her. Of course Yuki went easy on the child since Yuki was the Mistress of Tag. Sadly the two females became so weary and tired that they both had to stop and rest, deciding to make flower jewelry as they recovered their energy.

Having had never done this pastime before, Yuki was not very good at forming the flowery trinkets her first few tries. Gradually she improved though, making necklaces and bracelets that she put on and traded with the younger girl. And it was somewhere in the midst of it all that Rin placed a hand on Yuki's cheek, turning her face towards her and scrutinizing the woman's countenance. "You know," Rin commented, not letting that concentration in her eyes slip, "Even with your face smudged with dirt like it is, you still look really pretty. I hope that I can grow up to be pretty like you."

And even through the dirt that caked her cheeks that she had gathered from her earlier attempted rescue, that blush that had been appearing so often showed up once again.

But it was fun, spending time with this little girl. In fact, Yuki was having so much fun that she herself felt like a child again: carefree and happy. This enjoyment actually caused Yuki to lose track of time and later realized that hours had passed without her notice. But Rin soon started to tire of playing and wanted to go back to the campsite so that they could rest from this play day. Yuki was very disappointed by this but was able to hide it very well from the youngling. Even though she dreaded going back to that man, Yuki would not want to keep Rin because of it.

As they walked back down the path from which they had come, Rin asked Yuki her name. The woman smiled and answered, "My name is Yuki."

Rin's eyes examined Yuki's face for a moment, then cracked a grin. "You're pretty when you smile," she commented, "You should do it more often."

The smile on Yuki's face diminished for a moment as she thought about the compliment that Rin had just paid her. _'You're pretty when you smile…'_ Rin had been saying such things so often. Could she really mean it? _'No,'_ Yuki told herself, _'She doesn't. I'm not so pretty that someone would comment on it... Especially not so often as she does.'_ Yuki thought this way about herself because she knew that she wasn't ugly, but she didn't think that her appearance was worth noticing either. She was simply plain.

Then the next thing she knew, Yuki and Rin had arrived back to the camp. Sesshomaru was still sitting with his back to the tree, gazing off into space and Jaken was…um… being Jaken.

But seeing that the two girls had returned, Sesshomaru silently stood and walked over and passed the two. "You, girl," he addressed Yuki while heading right back out of the clearing, "Follow me."

At first, Yuki was reluctant to go after him. She didn't like the idea of being alone with him at all, especially in a vast and concealed place that the forest probably held. But after a few moments when he noticed that she wasn't coming, Sesshomaru turned around, showing the impatience that had crept into his eyes. "Well?" he snapped back to Yuki, stirring her into action out of fear of angering the man.

Captor and captive walked in complete silence down the path going through new terrain. Yuki looked around as they went, working on memorizing the scenery so that she wouldn't have to think about the awkward nothingness between her and Sesshomaru. She could only pray that he too would say nothing and was hopefully occupied with his own thoughts, unrelated to her.

After only a couple more minutes of walking, the two reached a beautiful waterfall. And though the water stream that fell into the pool was smooth and gentle, the stream was thick enough that anything that was behind it was hidden, or at least distorted. And yet it flowed softly enough that if you put your hand in the water, it would simply pass by it without any trouble.

Sesshomaru turned around began to walk away. "I do not want to travel with a filthy human, let alone a dirty one," he told Yuki, "You will bathe here. But do not attempt to flee." Yuki turned to the departing man and unthinkingly nodded to his back, even though he couldn't see it. Then when the man was completely out of sight, Yuki followed the small ledge that was formed into the cliff from which the water fell and she went behind the falling stream. Once she was sure that she hidden from view, Yuki slipped out of her dirty school uniform and folded it carefully before setting it down on the stone. Then she slid into the cold water, shivering on contact. It was so cold!!! She didn't want to get any wetter than she already was, but she had to get clean. Sesshomaru had already made that clear. That is why she mentally prepared herself the best that she could to rush under the waterfall and out into deeper water.

Yuki took only a moment to adjust in the waist deep section of the water, then went farther towards the center, going in deeper and deeper before she was shoulder deep into the pool. Then, taking a deep breath, Yuki plunged underneath the water so that she might wash her hair and face clean of the dirt that had collected there. She then reemerged to the top and began to scrub the rest of her body with her hands, trying her best to get clean. She probably would have enjoyed this little bath more if it had not been so freezing!

It only took a few more minutes for Yuki to become satisfied with her clean condition, and she then headed back to the other side of the waterfall to dress again. However, what awaited her there was not the worn clothing that she had left behind. Now, there was a dry towel and a simple and clean kimono that was the plainest of blues that Yuki could ever recall seeing.

Yuki looked around for any sign of someone who could have left the items there, but saw no one. So, she tried to dry off the best she could with the towel, then she dressed herself in the kimono and put on the sandals that had been provided for her onto her feet.

After Yuki had gone back to the land, she saw Sesshomaru waiting for her at the mouth of the pathway that led back to camp. The moment he saw that the girl was now ready, he turned around and began again down the road. Yuki hurried to catch up to him.


	4. Chapter Four: The Fire Escape

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Inu Yasha I would be getting paid for this.

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**Chapter Four: The Fire Escape**

The sight of the flames enthralled Yuki, entertaining her in a time of sadness. The crackling of the wood distracted her, keeping her attention so that her mind would not wander to worse thoughts. The warmth of the light soothed her, making her feel less lonely than she had felt without it. Otherwise, there was little action in the campsite, Yuki being one of the major contributors to this stillness as she sat with her head resting on her knees, her violet eyes in a sort of trance as the licks of fire danced in them. This one fire was maybe the only thing that Yuki had access to that could distract her from the fact that her kidnapper was so near, dwelling just on the opposite side of the clearing, sitting in his usual spot against a tree. But when the moving colors could not allow her mind to wander, it eased it so that she could think instead of worry. She thought about what the others were doing right now. She thought about what her mother would think once she didn't come home. But most of all, she thought about escape. She had gone over what seemed like hundreds, maybe thousands of scenarios of performing such an act, but all ended with sad failure. Then the silence, along with Yuki's stream of thought, was broken by Rin as she asked Sesshomaru to play with her. He at first, didn't seem in the mood as he stared at her for a moment, then turned his head away from her as he let out a heavy sigh. "Why do you not want to play with the girl?" he asked.

"She's fun and all, but I haven't played with you in a really long time! Please, Lord Sesshomaru? Please...?" she begged, desperately pulling on his sleeve.

It seemed to Yuki that no one could have resisted such pitiful cries or the begging that those big brown eyes so emotively portrayed. This too could have been said for the heartless demon that was named Sesshomaru for he then gave a sigh of defeat and submitted to the child's pleads. "Let's go, Rin."

Sounds of rejoice came from Rin as she immediately stopped the tugging on her master's sleeve so that she could clap her hands together in happiness."Yay!" she exclaimed, "Lord Sesshomaru is going to play with me!"

With that, she ran off ahead of him on the path, eager to get going. Sesshomaru, of course, seemed less hurried and arose from his spot in a very reserved manner only to follow after the girl just as slowly. Thus only Yuki and Jaken were left, the newly formed fire's popping sounds beginning to die down a little, allowing a more still sort of silence to fill the air. This was perhaps the opportunity that Yuki would get for a chance to loosen up a bit now that she was rid of the ever stern presence of Sesshomaru who had just recently left, much to Yuki's pleasure. So she straightened, her legs still hugged to her chest. What was going on here anyway? From Sesshomaru's earlier display with her friend, Sango, he obviously hated humans. And yet, here he was, traveling with one as an ally... and child none the less! And now he was demanding that Yuki be his companion! No... Yuki was not nor would she ever join him. She was not his ally. She was his prisoner and only that.

So, if she could not configure Sesshomaru's motives by herself, there was only one option left to her: she had to ask Jaken about it. "Jaken... What does Sesshomaru think of me?"

"That's _**Lord**_ Sesshomaru to you!" Jaken corrected as he didn't so much as even look up from the meal that he was now preparing. And in those few moments that followed that comment, something must have dawned on him for the green imp looked up from the beef stew he was brewing and narrowed his eyes in a suspicious manner. "Why do you want to know?" he interrogated, "You don't have feelings for him, do you?"

Yuki couldn't help but to show the complete and utter surprise and disgust that she felt at this absurd statement. In fact, she could have gagged at that very moement _'How could anyone ever love that cold-hearted kidnapper?'_ she thought to herself. In this case Yuki was able to immediately and truthfully answer, "No way! How could you even _think_ that?"

But then she had to pause for a moment and ponder the matter. It wasn't even possible… Or was it?

"Because if you did…" came Jaken's annoying voice, pulling Yuki out of her thoughts,"…you know that that sort behavior would never be allowed because of your low rank compared to his superior one... That and because he would never take interest in any woman, especially one as hideous as you are."

Yuki closed your eyes in frustration at the toad's unacceptable insult, a burst of anger spreading through her. Then, just as suddenly as her anger had appeared, the flames of the fire grew along with the blaze of her anger. The flames grew to the extent that they where going high above the pot, nearly scaring Jaken to death as he fell back. Opening her eyes in wonder, Yuki saw a frightened Jaken about a foot away from the pot where he had fallen back to, clutching his chest and gasping heavily. He looked over towards Yuki, still in shock and asked, "D-did you do that?"

After senselessly shaking her head no, Yuki returned her attention back to the fire with just as much awe as Jaken felt. The flames by now had been reduced to their normal size and state. "Ooooh…" came the interested comment of the returning Rin.

Yuki's attention snapped over to the edge of the path where the duo made up of Sesshomaru and Rin were now standing so still, neither of them wanting to move from their spot as Rin with amazed eyes stared at the fire whilst Sesshomaru gazed with his detached golden orbs conspicuously and unashamedly at Yuki.

Jaken looked up at them and exclaimed, "Lord Sesshomaru! Did you see that?"

Sesshomaru was set into motion by what could have possibly been curiosity, walking into the camp without taking that hard and piercing gaze off of his target and replied, "I did see, Jaken. I am not blind."

Yuki could only helplessly stare back at the demon, petrified with fear at the thought of what he would do. Had she done something wrong? What was he going to do? Could she possibly be punished for what just happened?

But her dread was all for not, for Sesshomaru only crouched down next to Yuki, staring at her for only a moment before he harshly grabbing her chin and begining to search her eyes as if they held the reason to why the explosion had occurred at all. It almost seemed that those demonic eyes were penetrating Yuki's very soul, piercing into it and weakening it. In fact, as Yuki returned the gaze, she noticed his own eyes as well. Like a setting sun they were and just as beautiful, so smooth and enchanting..."Are you positive that you are merely a human?" he questioned in a low voice.

But Yuki found herself not able to answer… those eyes took all words, sense, and thought from her mind… Only the heavy beating of her heart and the silent shallow breaths she took told her that she was alive anymore.

Jaken now standing thankfully answered for her, "Her scent and aura is that of a human, Mi'Lord, is it not? And no demon can rid itself of those traits. Besides, she certainly looks and acts human enough. I'm sure that she wasn't the cause of the little incident at all!"

Sesshomaru lingered in his spot for a moment and mulled this over in his mind, but eventually released Yuki from his hold both physical and mental. And as he rose, Yuki suddenly realized what had happened. But what HAD happened really? One moment she was scared to death of him and the next she was... was.. SWOONING! What sort of enchanted demon charm had he cast on her in those few moments? It was horrible! Yuki could only have peace once the man returned to his usual spot that was on the other side of the clearing. However, this is not what he did. The seat he took _was_ in front of a tree, that much had not changed, but the tree he that he chose this time was directly behind Yuki where she could not see him.

Now it was a hard thing for Yuki to feel comfortable for she could feel those eyes fixed on her back, monitoring her every move. The nerves that formed in Yuki's gut caused the rest of her body to tense and freeze up as that icy man chilled her through with his obviously felt gawking. This newer side of Sesshomaru was not Yuki's favorite. She actually preferred the first one that said nothing, told her nothing, and cared about nothing. She would give anything to go back in time and prevent anything that would change him into this suspicious and curious man! She wanted the man that ignored her back!

So, in desperate need to get away from him, Yuki decided to try the same tactic she had performed with the perverted monk. She slowly rose from her seat and began making her way towards the path that led out of the campsite, thinking that taking a walk would relax her and give her enough time away from her problem. This was proved very difficult for her to do, however, for suddenly Sesshomaru spontaneously appeared in front of her, blocking her pathway to salvation. "Where are you going?" he asked with the slightest of sneers.

"I'm just going for a walk," was Yuki's nervous reply.

"No, you're not," Jaken corrected the human, "It's dinnertime."

Yuki began to try and go around Sesshomaru, but still it seemed impossible for Sesshmaru's inhuman speed and reflexes managed to block her each and every attempt. "I'm not hungry," Yuki called over to the other servant.

"You are not leaving here alone," the lower-class demon retorted, almost speaking for Sesshomaru now, "Someone must go with you and make sure that you do not run away."

By this point, Yuki was beginning to become very annoyed with all of these restraining and restricting rules. So, she turned around to once again face the clearing to address to two figures in it. "Okay. Fine," she submitted, "Rin, do you want to come with me?"

The little girl looked up at Yuki with regret and weakness in her expression and replied, "I would, but I'm really hungry, Miss Yuki."

Then she looked look over at Jaken. "How about you, Jaken?" Yuki requested with a bite to her tone. It had taken all of her self-restraint not to refer to him as a toad just because of her unhappy state that she had been put in by him. Rudeness from someone like Sesshomaru who was of higher rank was one thing that she could handle. Being bossed around by an imp that did not even reach her waist in height was something that she became very irritated by.

But said fiend only looked away in snobbish denial and answered, "I don't want to be blamed for your escape just because you could easily run away from me. If you truly want to go and if you are smart, you will ask Lord Sesshomaru."

Yuki looked down at her feet for an instant only, sighing at her last option. Then she turned to look back up at Sesshomaru. This was the very man she wanted to get away from. Why go WITH him? Unfortunately though, Yuki actually did need the walk. It felt too constricting staying in the same spot of forest for so long! So sighing with regret at what she was about to do, Yuki asked him, "Lord Sesshomaru?"

To show his reply to the intended question, Sesshomaru moved aside to let his prisoner pass by him so that she may lead. Yuki felt a great weight lifted as she finally was able to pass by him and out of the campsite, back into the wilderness. Sesshomaru then followed close behind her, not giving her so much as a four foot lead.

As much as she hated the situation, Yuki managed to deal with it well enough, thankful that she was at least away from that place of nothingness. The two of them walked for a good amount of time, not uttering so much as single word to each other or otherwise. But then, something wonderful happened. The next clearing they came to was the familiar space that Yuki had first found herself after coming to this era. And sure enough, there was the well, right in the middle of it! This might be her chance! By this time, Sesshomaru had begun to think Yuki harmless enough that he could give her some slack, so he had let ten feet of space come between them.

This was the chance that Yuki had to take. It was her only opportunity to flee Sesshomaru and his hold on her. So, without thinking, she darted towards the well, hoping to be able to jump in before her captor could stop her. But it was only five feet later that Yuki found Sesshomaru in front of her again, causing her to bump into him abruptly. But when she looked up at him, Sesshomaru was glaring wildly down at her. "What did I say about running away?" he growled as he grabbed Yuki's shoulders, his rage apparent in his voice, his expression, and especially his grip.

In his rage, he quickly threw Yuki to the ground, causing her to cry out. And now having been released once more, she frantically tried running towards the well again. Sesshomaru replied with the same reaction that he had before: sending Yuki to the ground, but this time the fall was caused by a full-on blow.

Tears of rage and hopelessness started to form in her violet eyes and with her voice becoming choked up, Yuki questioned, "If you hate me so much, then why are you trying so hard to keep me here?!"

He pulled Yuki up by the front of her kimono and lifted her completely off of the ground and above his head, looking into those weeping eyes without remorse. Sesshomaru glared at the human before him and countered her. "How dare you question me?" he said before backhanding her across the face with his free hand.

As Yuki dared to return the glare, she also had gathered up the hatred to mock him, "I just did, didn't I? Or are you too stupid to understand that?" Then she hopelessly gave him a kick, hoping it would do SOMETHING, but of course, it did nothing to hurt him.

Then he did something extraordinary: he dropped Yuki so that she landed into a sitting position before him. She looked up to him as he crouched down so that his glaring eyes met with Yuki's confused and scared ones. "Five seconds," he simply told her, "I will give you five seconds only to run. Starting now." He was playing with her!

Yuki gladly took this opportunity, though, and stood up and darted for the well. But when she was about halfway there, she glanced back to see Sesshomaru chasing after her, but not at his full speed. Instead, he was toying with her, like a dog chasing a cat just for sport!

And at this moment of sudden and rapid fear, something incredible occurred: Sesshomaru's shoulder caught fire! He was so totally surprised that he let the shock actually show on his face as he started to try and extinguish the flame.

Another fortunate mishap! Because of this distraction, Yuki was able to actually jump into the well and escape. But as she fell, she looked back to the well's mouth and saw Sesshomaru jumping right in after her, then grabbing her body and pulling Yuki towards himself. Then the lights surrounded the both of them, pulling them back into the future and gently landing on future soil.

Just then, Yuki felt herself being turned around and slammed against the wall of the well by Sesshomaru who was now glowering at her. But what struck the fear into Yuki's heart was not the fact that the anger was still visible in his eyes, but instead it was the fact that the fury had been increased so that his eyes screamed bloody murder.


	5. Chapter Five: Trapped!

** Disclaimer: **If I owned Inu Yasha, I would be getting more reviews.

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**Chapter Five: Trapped**

And so there they were, Yuki grasping at Sesshomaru's hand as she struggled to wrench it away from where it was clenched threateningly around her throat, cutting off her airway. In what little light that they had, Yuki could just barely see Sesshomaru's enraged expression, his fangs bared with danger as a growl escaped from low in his throat. "You will learn to never again-"

"Yuki?" a voice called from the top of the well, interrupting Sesshomaru in mid-sentence, "Yuki, is that you?"

Both occupants of the well looked up to the source of the disturbance, only to see Kagome and her grandfather staring down at them at the top. The hold on Yuki's throat was removed as Sesshomaru stepped away from her, suddenly being pulled back to his senses and regaining control of his anger. The poor girl gasped for air, coughing as she tried to attain her breath again. "Yes, it's me Kagome!" Yuki called back with her hand still to her throat, "Get me out of here!"

Kagome squinted, straining her eyes to make out the additional figure that had been pulled back along with her friend. "Who's that with you?!" Kagome asked, not able to decipher the form after all of her effort.

But her question went unanswered once her grandfather took a better look at the second person who was trapped. His eyes grew wide with surprise as he and quickly configured not who, but what the newcomer was. "Is that a demon with you?!"

This question took Yuki by complete surprise as she returned her attention back to Sesshomaru who was still glaring up at the pair. A demon? Was that what he was after all? How could she not have guessed that? After all, she had at least assumed that he wasn't human this entire time judging by his superhuman abilities... but a DEMON? Weren't those things supposed to look scary and ugly? He couldn't be! Sesshomaru must be something else... something that existed in the past that she had not heard of. But as Yuki was caught in her thoughts, Sesshomaru was nastily answering, "That's none of your business, old man!"

And it was the sound of his voice that gave him away. Kagome instantly recognized the deep voice of Inu Yasha's older half brother. "Is that Sesshomaru down there with you?" she questioned, no longer having to strive to see who was with Yuki, "It is! No way are we helping him out!"

The demon just glared up at the other humans, another snarl coming from the depths of his throat. "If you will not let us out, then I will have to get out myself," he told them, right before he jumped up towards the exit with a mighty leap.

But before he could get through the opening, Kagome and her grandfather sealed the mouth of the well with a strong lid, encasing the place in near total darkness. At first, the demon believed that the top was a futile attempt to contain him and that he could easily break through. However, once he came near it, a spiritual barrier formed, repelling him away. A moment later when Sesshomaru landed on the bottom of the well again next to Yuki, he seemed to have regained his composure. "This is all your fault," he blamed in his calm, cool voice without having had taken his gaze off of the latched chance of freedom.

"My fault!" Yuki repeated, "You're the one they shut in here! They couldn't let me out because they would be risking your escape!"

For a moment, neither of them said a word. But then Yuki heard the great demon heave a light and disappointed sigh. "You seemed like such a quiet, obedient girl," he commented, seeming a little let down in his captive's sudden conversion, "Why the change?"

But still being very upset with Sesshomaru, the only reply that Yuki would give was a proud, stubborn, and quick, "Hmph." That was immediately followed by the explanation, "I'm not answering any of your questions if you don't answer mine."

Sesshomaru didn't say anything for another moment. "That is fine by me," he agreed as he sat down against the wall in the signature way that he would sit against a tree, "I will not answer any of your questions and you will not answer any of mine."

Yuki gave an aggravated sigh, then followed his example and sat down against the opposite edge of the pit, leaning her head against an opposing corner. Nothing else was said between the two afterwards. Not even the slightest criticism about Yuki's inferiority on Sesshomaru's part came up. This bored Yuki tremendously, though, and she soon fell asleep...

As she laid in the darkness, Yuki opened her eyes, seeing nothing around her but the black abyss that she was encased inside of. Was she still in the well? No… the walls were gone. She was alone in an otherwise empty void. But then, a ray of light, coming from an unknown source above, shone down into that place, maybe twenty feet away from where Yuki rested. In that very light, there was a figure, walking slowly towards Yuki, the spotlight moving with along with them.

Who was coming? Maybe they could help her! So, Yuki stood as she awaited to the person to reach her. However, the closer the person came, the more Yuki came to realize who it was, the more that she wanted to run away. Sesshomaru. What was he doing here? Well, it mattered not for he was the only aid or living being that seemed to be here. "Sesshomaru!" Yuki called out to the very last person that she wanted to see at the moment, hoping that he would know where exactly they were.

The approaching man looked up to see who was calling him. Then realizing who it was, he fixed his gaze on Yuki, not straying away for a moment. It was with that one look that all of their previous squabbles seemed to disappear in Yuki's mind. None of them really mattered anymore for in his eyes there was something that she never would have believed him to be capable of: forgiveness. It was with that small amount of eye contact that Yuki was once again under Sesshomaru's spell, her quiet and mild demeanor renewed along with her obligation of obedience.

But as he came closer and closer still, Yuki found herself suddenly panicking. What was she going to say to him? What would she do? She couldn't just simply yell out his name to call him over and be expected to say nothing more!

Then he was upon Yuki, less than an arm's reach away. So, Yuki opened her mouth and hoped that words would come out, but Sesshomaru stopped her by gently putting two fingers to her lips while staring deeply into her eyes. For the first time, Yuki returned the deep gaze instead of just receiving it and allowed it to totally consume her, not even caring who he really was. His spell was working; Yuki was lost in the magnificence of those gorgeous eyes of the demon.

Slowly removing his fingers from Yuki's silenced mouth, Sesshomaru quickly pulled Yuki into an embrace, holding her so close and so protectively it seemed as if he would never let go. For a second, this sign of affection from the man that she hated completely shocked and surprised Yuki. That was not the strangest part, though. What was truly bizarre was that after getting over the alarm, Yuki completely relaxed and she even wrapped her own arms around Sesshomaru's neck and rested her head on his chest, returning the gesture. That's when Sesshomaru spoke, two simple words falling on Yuki's ears: "Be mine."

A small cry escaped Yuki's lips as she awoke with a start from the dream, looking around to see if she had alerted Sesshomaru's slumber because of it. Luckily he did not so much as stir from his sleep as they both still remained trapped inside of the well. A worried hand ran through Yuki's long black hair. _'What a nightmare!'_ she told herself, looking around in a fright. Her heart was still pounding, not with excitement, but with fear. However, taking another look over at Sesshomaru, she had to pause and rethink all that she had just felt about the dream. He looked different somehow... No. That was nonsense! A simple dream vision couldn't change a person's opinion on someones appearence THAT drastically! And yet here was proof that her own dream had done just that. Before Sesshomaru had seemed normal; a tyrant with far too much pride and way too large a temper. Now he was different. As Yuki stared at Sesshomaru's sleeping features, she realized for the first time that he was actually quite... handsome.


	6. Chapter Six: Some First Night Back

**Disclaimer: -Koneko- **I own all characters in the story of Inu Yasha!

**-Dulcet- **-sprays Koneko with water bottle-

**-Koneko- **I mean I don't! Not me!

**-Dulcet- **Good kitty. -throws treat-

**-Koneko- **Oh boy!

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**Chapter Six: Some First Night Back **

"Yuki," a voice from above whispered secretively, "Wake up. We're going to get you out of there." Yuki looked up the long shaft that was now open to see Kagome, who was looking down upon the two figures, one of them obviously asleep. So slowly, in her stealthiest manner as not to wake the threat, Kagome lowered a rope ladder down towards the bottom of the well so that Yuki would be able to get out and away from the demon Sesshomaru.

Once it reached the proper place and height for her, Yuki stepped over the oblivious Sesshomaru and carefully began to scale up the ladder, taking much care not to lose her footing in the loose rope rings that she was trusting her weight to in desperate attempt to escape.

Finally when she was up and safe, Kagome quickly pulled the ladder up and refastened the lid to the well's exit so that she could once again lock their enemy inside where he could do no harm. That's when Yuki noticed that its surface was almost completely covered in protective spells and sutras That must have been why Sesshomaru couldn't break out before. "Yuki," Kagome said as she turned to her friend, "Come inside. I'm sure that you want to relax after what you must have been through."

There came no reply though. Yuki simply followed Kagome out of the shrine and into the yard that was bathed in the lights of the sunset. This caused the girl to stop, looking over to the horizon to see the fiery combinations of red, orange, and yellow that made up that evening's end. It was her favorite kind of sunset and seeing it now gave her spirits a well needed lift. The other day in the forest she even remembered that the sky had been painted with blue with pink clouds for the sunset of that day. Wait… "Kagome…" Yuki called as she caught up with her, "How long was down there in the well, anyways?"

Pausing at the door, Kagome pondered the question, forming an estimation in her head. "Only about a day or less," she replied, "Or at least as far as I know you were."

"Oh..."Yuki replied simply as she followed Kagome inside, the warmth and delicious aromas of the house inviting her in.

Sniffing the air, Yuki felt her stomach grumble as it ached for the source of the smell, her taste buds beginning to crave it, no matter what it was. Apparently it had been a day since she had eaten and this food was just tempting, no daring, her to go find it. Then, Kagome's mother came into sight as she was wiping her hands on a towel and smiling at the two new arrivals. "Hello, girls," she greeted, "It's nice to see you again Yuki. I was so worried about you once I heard the news that you had been taken down the well."

Yuki smiled at Mrs. Higurashi's welcome and concern, glad to hear loving words once again. "Thank you for your concern," she replied, and gave a small and grateful bow. Then Kagome took Yuki by the hand and pulled her away and lead her upstairs to her room where she sat Yuki down on her bed and instantly began the interrogation. "What happened after you ran away from Sango to go find Shippo?" she asked.

"Speaking of them…" Yuki dodged nervously, in truth wanting to avoid retelling her time with Sesshomaru, "…Shippo wasn't hurt, was he? He's fine, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kagome replied, waving off the concern, "He had went to go find Inu Yasha for help. But c'mon! You gotta tell me! If you tell me what happened, I'll tell you everything I know about the dog! I'll even go first!"

So, after having Yuki finally and reluctantly agreeing, Kagome told her friend all she knew about Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands. About how he was a dog demon, half brother to Inu Yasha. Also, she told what she knew about Rin and Jaken and other such things. Yuki was actually amazed at some of the things that she discovered about this man.

And then came her turn. As agreed, Yuki began to tell her own tale, leaving out the embarrassing parts that she didn't feel comfortable with Kagome knowing like all those times she felt uncomfortable or unsure around Sesshomaru, which was basically the majority of the story. And so she finally ended with the section of it when she "accidentally fell" into the well and Sesshomaru "went in to retrieve" her, accidentally getting transported via Yuki in the process.

At first, Kagome didn't know what to say to what had happened, so Yuki decided to make this silence work to her advantage by asking Kagome if she could take a quick bath so that she could try and relax herself. Kagome nodded and showed her to the bathroom, leaving her with a towel. "I'll leave out some clothes for you in my room, okay?" she told Yuki before leaving the girl to herself.

Then, Yuki began to prepare the bath, letting the hot water run before putting in the plug. And as she let the bath tub fill with hot water, Yuki began to undress, glad to be rid of the kimono that had been given to her by her 'master'. Though she hadn't become especially dirty since the last she bathed, she would just use this as a relaxing soak. Maybe it would help relieve her of some of the worries... And thank God that it worked!

As she slowly slipped into the tub, the hot water encased her, soothing her tense muscles and her worried mind with its warmth comforting her bare body. Then, as she sat there letting the water take away her troubles, she began to do the worst thing she could ever do in a bath tub: she began to think about Sesshomaru, wondering if it was actually possible to get out of the well and find her here… but with that thought, Yuki, for some reason unknown to her, started thinking about her dream, treasuring it, trying to relive it in her mind.

But suddenly, she came to her senses and snapped out of the fantasy with a jolt.

_'HELLO! This is the guy that treated you worse than dirt!'_

_'… but those golden eyes…'_

_'NO! Bad guy! YOU HEAR ME?! BAD! BAD! BAD!...**BAD!!**'_

That was it. Her bath was officially ruined by the mere thought of that good-for-nothing demon. So, Yuki arose from the water, unplugged the drain and wrapped a towel around herself, not bothering to even dry off properly. And to Yuki's discomfort, as she adjusted the covering, she realized that she was living her worst nightmare… well it _used_ to be her worst nightmare… that was before she had met the egotistical and controlling scoundrel that had been named Sesshomaru.

Anyway, she looked down to the bottom hem of her towel and frowned. It was even shorter than her blasted uniform's skirt's hem! Even though she knew that no one would see her like this, Yuki still couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the amount of skin that she was showing because of the towel. Yuki was self-concious by heart and she didn't need anyone to see her for her to feel that way.

So, she hurried into Kagome's room to avoid being seen, only to find an empty room and fresh clothes waiting for her on the bed: a pink spaghetti strap shirt with lace border and a pair of pajama shorts. Yuki sighed at the ensemble that had been provided for her. Why couldn't anyone understand that she hated these sort of clothes? Even ones such as these, which weren't too promiscuous, were devastating for her!

In going over to examine them better, Yuki raised an eyebrow at pajama-like clothes. The looked too big for her anyways… the shorts probably wouldn't stay up and she would probably have to be constantly adjusting the hem of the shirt so that it would not be slipping down too far. Of course she wasn't thinking that Kagome was fat or that she herself was skinny… Yuki just had a small, lean frame.

Heaving another sigh, Yuki put the clothes back down. She would just have to settle for her kimono to dress in. She would rather wear that dreaded thing than something of this nature. So, she folded the provided clothes back up and put them in a neat pile back on the bed before turning to leave the room to go and retrieve her dress from where she had left it in the bathroom.

But before she could take another step, Yuki froze in her tracks as her violet eyes beheld something that she had not noticed before. There in the corner where an open door would have hidden him stood Sesshomaru with folded arms, leaning against the wall, watching the nearly naked girl with a gleam in those mischievous eyes and a triumphant smirk slapped across his proud and cocky face. Yuki wrapped the small towel tighter around herself as if to protect her vulnerable self against that damned gaze or to warm herself and stop the chills that occurred as she took note of the the interested gaze that occupied Sesshomaru's expression as he scanned up and down Yuki's form. "Hello human," he finally said, breaking the silence at last.

Now, Yuki knew that she should have been filled with unbridled anger at that moment, but her embarrassment was simply too overpowering to allow her that. Despised or not, Yuki could never feel anything but shyness when a man looked at her as Sesshomaru currently was. She couldn't help it. Yuki was not accustomed to such signs of affection, this being the first time that it had ever happened. So of course, what did she do? Well, because of Sesshomaru, Yuki did what she couldn't help but do in this sort of situation: she blushed and tried not to make eye-contact.

"How did you get out?" Yuki asked, pulling to towel tighter around herself, "The cover…and the spells… they should have stopped you."

Just then, to Yuki's surprise Sesshomaru held up a few of said sutras in between two of his fingers, showing them right at their mention while correcting the girl's statement, "Oh, do you mean these?" Then, throwing the useless pieces of paper onto the floor, he continued, "I am sorry to be the one to tell you this, but no charms can contain **me** forever."

Then a cold wind blew on Yuki's bare back, causing her to turn to investigate the source of the breeze. The window had been opened. But then, as she turned back to face Sesshomaru, she realized that he was now approaching her at a slow and tormenting speed. His pace was so steady and unhurried, that it gave time for Yuki to begin to think about what he was going to do to her once he came near. But then she decided not to think about it after all because all of the ideas were bad, considering the bad mood she had put him in earlier combined with the apparent mood that he was in now.

Thankfully, Kagome opened the door just then and saw Sesshomaru standing in her room with the exposed and vulnerable Yuki standing helpless and afraid. At first, she could only stand in shock as the other two turned to look at her. "Grampa!" she finally called, "Come up here! And bring your special spell!"

And as if he had been waiting for that announcement, Kagome's grandfather appeared only moments later. Sesshomaru, who had by now had decided to hurry and advance on Yuki, was currently was struggling with the girl and was trying to get her to cooperate with him so that he could make his escape with her. However, the grandfather pulled out a sutra and slapped it onto Sesshomaru's back. "Yuki, say something of discipline!" the grandfather called.

Yuki was very confused and scared at this moment, so her mind was clouded. She didn't take time to question the man, but instead got to work on thinking of a word to say, _'Um…demon…no…dog…uh…'_

Then suddenly as she thought of dogs, it hit her. "Bad boy!" Yuki scolded. Just then, a sort of blaze shot up from the ground beneath Sesshomaru's feet, causing him to let go of Yuki in his surprise. The wild blaze engulfed him completely, causing him to scream in pain before it knocked him out of consciousness.

At first, silence filled the room as the party looked at the damaged, but not burnt demon. It was Kagome who broke the silence, "Well, we'll just leave now." And with that, Kagome got a hold of Sesshomaru's ankles and began inching his large form him out of the room with her to leave Yuki alone once again.

Later, after having had retrieved her kimono and putting it back on, Yuki went downstairs to find Kagome and her family waiting for her at the dinner table. "Was there something wrong with the clothes that I left out?" Kagome questioned, noticing that Yuki was not wearing them and had decided to instead change back into her other ones.

"No, nothing was wrong with them," Yuki lied, "I just don't like wearing pink for some reason. I feel uncomfortable wearing it." An awkward silence followed this comment. That is, until a thought suddenly struck Yuki. "May I use your phone?" she requested.

Kagome's mom nodded yes and so Yuki hurried to it to the telephone to dial her own phone number in.

When her mother answered, she simply said, "Hello?"

After returning the hello, Yuki began to explain everything, "Mom I'm sorry I haven't called you, but I've been busy… umm… my friend needed me to help with something and I guess it took longer than we'd expected."

There was a pause of disbelief on the other end. She knew... Ms. Miyamota knew that she was lying! Then Ms. Miyamota pointed out the obvious, "It took three DAYS?"

Biting her lip, Yuki tried to come up with an explanation, but finding none, she panicked. "Um well, mom…uh…" she started out, but then began to make a static sound, "Can't -static- you -static- connection -static- hearing -static- other -static-." And then Yuki hung up. As she sat there, Yuki rolled her eyes at herself. _'Yeah. Like she'll buy that. ' _

After a wonderful dinner that was also partially spent in thought, Yuki sat in Kagome's room, discussing what would probably have to happen next, such as what they would do with Sesshomaru. But then, in the midst of this and out of the blue, Kagome finally burst, "Okay, I can't take it anymore! What really happened when you were with Sesshomaru? Did he hurt you? Did he put you in any danger?"

Wide eyed and surprised, Yuki gawked at the other teenager. "I told you everything that happened," said Yuki, "Why do you think that he hurt me?" _'Why are you defending that jerk? He DID hurt you!'_

"Hello!" Kagome nearly screamed in reply, "You can't tell me that he didn't do anything! You have a bruise on your cheek the size of Taiwan!" Yuki's eyes widened in shock as she touched her cheek, regretting it once she had as she felt pain shoot through the tender spot. Then she quickly went over to a mirror and looked into it, seeing the injury for the first time. There it was: a brown bruise had formed on Yuki's cheek at the spot where Sesshomaru had struck her. Why had she not noticed it before now? "It'll be fine," she insisted, "I'll just put some ice on it later."

Kagome sat in silence and watched Yuki for a moment until finally saying, "We'll have to take Sesshomaru back to the feudal era tomorrow."

Turning to look at her, Yuki raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'we'?" she questioned, "Why not just you?"

"Because I won't be able to get him into the well by myself."

Yuki let an unintentional glare form on her face. "You didn't have a hard time dragging him out of here earlier," she accused. Why did she want _her_ to help anyways? Why not a family member? That's when it got ugly. "Dragging him out of a room while he is unconscious is one thing," Kagome countered, "But getting him into the well while he's fully conscious and ticked off is another! That's why I need you to help. He'll go with you for sure."

"But there are only two ways that we can get him back!" Yuki pointed out, "You taking him, or me taking him and I as sure as hell know that you don't want to. So guess what? You're not making me do it! That's the only reason you want me to help so that you can just put me back into his hands again!"

"How dare you accuse me of that!?" Kagome scorned, "Yuki, I'm your friend, and he's Inu Yasha's enemy! Why would I help him at the cost of losing you?! You're not listening. I wanted you to take him back to the Feudal Era where we can later find you and rescue you."

Both of the girls were silent for a moment. Then, in much calmer tone, Kagome went on, "I wouldn't just hand you over to him. And if I was going to, why would you be here with me instead of in the well with Sesshomaru?"


	7. Chapter Seven: It's for the Best

**Disclaimer: Dulcet:-clears throat- I do not now, nor will I ever own Inu Yasha.**

**Koneko: Speak for yourself! -sings- A-huntin' I will go! A-huntin' I will go! Gonna catch the entire cast, a-huntin' I will go!**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: "I'm sure that it's for the best..." **

Yuki plopped back down onto the bed, feeling utter shock at her outburst. What was going on with her lately? Never before had her temper been this active. She was usually a very calm person... What was wrong with her?! "Well…" she began to say before smiling foolishly up at her friend, "I feel dumb."

She now realized the large error of her way and knew fully well that she should have never accused kind Kagome of helping Sesshomaru the way she had just done. But then, Yuki felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over her weary body and she let out a yawn, signifying her lack of energy that the events of the day had caused.

Smiling at Yuki, Kagome stood up, telling her, "You must be tired after all that's happened. You can sleep in my bed tonight."

"No, no," Yuki protested, standing up from her spot and stretching, "Just because I'm here, doesn't mean you should surrender your bed. I'll just go sleep downstairs on the couch."

Being the good hostess she was, Kagome tried to argue, but the other girl would not budge in her statement. "I will be able to sleep in a bed soon enough," she assured Kagome, "One more night won't hurt me."

Once again about to go against the offer, Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself and smiled. "Okay," she finally agreed, "You're the guest, after all. Whatever you want." But as Yuki went back downstairs, a pillow and folded blanket in her arms, she couldn't help but smirk to herself, knowing that there had been a hint of gratitude in Kagome's grin. However, if she had known what was to come then she would have gladly accepted the offer of a chance to sleep in a bed.

As Yuki laid herself down onto the small, yet comfortable couch, thoughts of Sesshomaru drifted back into her mind. Why was he being so persistent with her? It just didn't make any sense in the least bit! First, he scorned the very human race to which Yuki happily belonged, and then he takes her as a companion. He had to have some reason for wanting her and not just some other human or female. But what? What was so special about her that would make Sesshomaru want her so much?

Then again, Sesshomaru did strike Yuki, and hurt her very badly, simply so that she would stay with him. So, the more and more that Yuki pondered these facts, the more she began to believe that there MUST have been something unique about her that he needed… but what? WHAT?

Yuki knew for a fact that any of Sesshomaru's feelings for her (not that there were any) had nothing to do with his reasons… that is, unless the feelings came from somewhere below the belt. And after seeing the way that he had been eying her while she was wearing that towel, Yuki couldn't dispel that new motivation. But she still knew that there had to be some other reason. He wouldn't go through all of this trouble for any reason like that.

And after all, he must have been plotting this entire capture from the very beginning. Ever since he had seen her, Sesshomaru must have been plotting. That is… unless he was just waiting for a use for her…

Yuki put her hands over her ears as if trying to block out the sounds of her own thoughts. These stupid possibilities were endless! If only she had known more about the situation, she might have been able to uncover Sesshomaru's intentions! And now she'll probably never know because soon she'd never have see him or that stupid place of the past again!

Wait… never have to see them again… If she was leaving this entire memory behind, then why was she fretting about it at all? Why was she wracking her sanity over the futile and meaningless puzzle? There was no point in it! And yet, even now as she realized this, Yuki found that she was still as curious and determined to uncover the secret as ever. She still wanted to know. But deep in her heart, she knew that she would never discover the answer that she was looking for. And so she finally closed her eyes and slept.

* * *

It was apparent in the expression of those enraged golden eyes and the way that Sesshomaru's lips formed soundless words that the message unheard were only phrases of acid, slicing at Yuki as she stood before him, her eyes staring at the ground as her hands curled into fists, tight with hatred. But neither he nor she seemed to notice the flaming circle that surrounded them, growing stronger and closer, feeding on Sesshomaru's fury as he went on.

He then made his way over to Yuki, slowly tilted her head upwards so that she was looking into his lustrous orbs that now reflected the enclosing inferno. Then, he slowly coiled a clawed hand around her throat, and tightly he began to squeeze, cutting off her breath. She was dying. He knew the one only way to extinguish this raging fire… and he was going to satisfy that need.

Yuki's hand went to his, trying to force it off, but the hold wouldn't give in to her futile attempts. However, not even now did she become scared. This only increased her anger towards the threat. But the blaze surrounded them, drawing nearer and nearer. And the longer Sesshomaru held on, the more Yuki struggled, the more both of their tempers heightened. But Sesshomaru didn't make a move to flee the incoming danger. As his glare then intensified, so did the fire, becoming hotter and hotter as it came nearer.

Air was running low for the struggling human. She couldn't breath. She couldn't think. She couldn't even cry out in fury or terror or even desperation. But the incoming wall only crept closer, now playing at her back and setting her kimono aflame, the fire beginning to lick and caress her bare skin with its hot and intense touch. It was at this point, right before she was about to die, that she forced herself to whimper out the one word that she knew Sesshomaru wanted to hear: "Sorry."

With that, Sesshomaru dropped Yuki to the ground, her hands going to her liberated throat as she gasped and choked for breath. The blaze then quickly retreated into the darkness. And after finally recovering from the incident, Yuki looked up to Sesshomaru whose voice now came into true sound, "Your hatred for me will only bring on my wrath as I attempt to exterminate that feeling towards me. So keep your anger to yourself and it won't end up getting you killed."

So… the fire had been the true threat, not Sesshomaru. And the fire was Yuki's anger, then? Was her developing temper a threat? Well, if Sesshomaru was willing to kill her over it then it could be. But it had been Sesshomaru who had started the fire. It had been Sesshomaru who had been feeding the fire of Yuki's fury the entire time. Why should he not tend to it then?

Yuki awoke, her brow dampened with a cold sweat while her body was still hot with the intense dream flames' heat. _'Only a dream,'_ she thought her herself, trying to relax once again, _'Only a dream…'_

But what had it meant? If the fire had resembled her hatred for Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru was trying to put the fire out, did that mean that he wanted to rid Yuki of her fury? If so, then why? Was the reason because he simply didn't like being hated? No… plenty of people MUST have hated him. How could anyone not?

Then if the motive was indeed not because he disliked being hated, perhaps he only disliked being hated so openly as Yuki did. Of course, there was always the possibility that it wasn't her hatred that he found noisome, but her arrogance that was caused by it. But Yuki wasn't THAT arrogant… was she?

Now, like always when Yuki came into one of these situations, she hit not just a crossroad, but a place where the path disappeared altogether so that she would only know where she was going when she arrived. Heaving a heavy sigh of defeat, she shifted in her spot where she laid on the sofa. Well, at least she would be able to turn around on this particular path and forget every dead end she had ever come to.

And just as Yuki was once again about to close her eyes and slip into sleep, a light clicked on in the other room. "Are you sure, Grampa?" questioned Kagome's hushed voice, "I mean come on, this is Yuki we're talking about here! She didn't even know that demons existed until she stumbled down the well."

Yuki's eyes instantly popped back open at the sound of her name being mentioned. They were talking about her! But why? They must know something that she didn't! "I'm positive Kagome," came the reply from the old man, "You know what you have to do, right?"

"Uh…no, sorry. I forgot"

There was a grave tone in the grandfather's reminder as he answered, "You have to take her back to the Feudal Era. She's too dangerous here while she's in this state."

_'State?'_ Yuki pondered, _'What state? There's nothing wrong with me… Wait. Did he just say "take her back"? No way! I am NOT staying behind! She promised that she would bring me back! She promised!'_

"Alright, Gramps," she sighed, "I'm sure Inu Yasha and the others could watch over her until Yuki is better." But the curious "sleeping" girl was deprived of anymore information as Kagome let out a yawn.

"Go to bed," her grandparent told her, "You need your rest."

"Okay," Kagome responded, walking away, "Night."

_'Is there something wrong with me?'_ Yuki wondered, fearing that she might have caught a deadly disease in the Feudal Era that she hadn't noticed, _'Well… it's Kagome. I'm sure that she wouldn't do me wrong. I'm sure that it's for the best.'_

* * *

"Good morning, sleepy head!" came the cheery voice of the other high school student. Yuki slowly cracked open her eyes, only to shut them again against the bright light of the morning sun that was shining brightly through the nearby window. "C'mon!" Kagome urged, "I made you breakfast!"

Opening one eye halfway, Yuki saw that Kagome was standing in front of her, a breakfast tray in hand. _'I guess it's about time I got up then,'_ came the whining voice inside of Yuki's head.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Yuki uttered a few words of humble thanks before taking the first bite of the food. After that, its delectable taste didn't make it hard to satisfy her hungry stomach.

"So, are you ready to go then?" Kagome questioned as she cleaned up the remains of the morning meal. It was so odd to Yuki that her friend could pretend that nothing was wrong with the proposal that she had just made. Didn't she feel the least bit guilty that she was about to betray her friend?

But Yuki could only do her best to play along. "What? Where are we going?" she asked, with a perfect tone of fake curiosity and confusion in her voice.

"You don't remember? To get Sesshomaru back to the Feudal Era," Kagome replied as she began to enter the kitchen to put the dishes into the sink, "He's conscious now and I need you to help me."

After sighing lightly that she could only hope that Kagome hadn't heard, Yuki arose from her seat on the couch. _'I'm sure that it is for the best,'_ she kept thinking to herself as Kagome reappeared and then lead her outside, _'I'm sure it's for the best.'_

BANG! Yuki looked around the yard, searching for any possible source of that loud commotion. Then it sounded again, sharper and louder this time, BANG! That was when Yuki first noticed the change in the shrine's appearance. It was covered top to bottom with all sorts of spells and sutras!

With every thunderous boom that came from inside, the entire shack seemed to pulse with purple light as the sutras prevented Sesshomaru from breaking through. _'Hah!'_ Yuki thought smugly to herself, _'And Sesshomaru said that they couldn't contain him!'_

Upon reaching the entrance to the small structure, Yuki noted that Kagome carefully tore away one of the sutras that was placed partially on the door and on the door frame. This must have been why Sesshomaru was trying to break through the walls. The spell wouldn't let him open the door.

Kagome then slowly slid open the door and entered, followed shortly and hesitantly by Yuki.

_'I'm sure that it's for the best.'_

Sesshomaru had quit his struggles and stood slightly hunched and panting from the effort. Those charms must have been pretty powerful to keep him in and wear him out like that!

Then, as his eyes fell upon Yuki, he straightened up and fixed his disheveled clothing, then returned to staring at her. Yuki stared blankly back at him, unafraid and yet hiding the rage that smoldered inside of her. The rage was not only towards the demon for taking her captive, but it was also directed towards her friend for returning her to her prison.

_'I'm sure that it's all for the best.'_

But Kagome didn't notice the other two as she went to go close the door again. Nor did she pay their behaviors any attention as she turned back to face them. "Okay Sesshomaru," said she, "It's time to go back now."

Then, to both of the girls' amazement, Sesshomaru turned away from them and began to slowly make his way towards the well. Neither girl could believe their eyes! Not so much as a quick retort or an argument of any sort! Then after coming within a foot of the small fount, he stopped and turned to face the other two and waited.

Kagome was the first to regain her senses. "So just like that?" she interrogated, almost suspiciously, "You're gonna come with us peacefully?"

"There is one condition," he corrected her, and then turned his gaze to Yuki, "You have to come with me…"

And there it was; the loophole that for a couple of moments, Yuki had thought not to exist. But as Sesshomaru spoke, Kagome cut him off, "Done! She'll go with you!"

Yuki shot a surprised glance at her, feeling the deep betrayal that she had expected ever since that conversation she had overheard the other night.

_'I'm SO sure it's all for the best!'_

"I appreciate your quick consent, but I think I should tell you what you have just agreed to," Sesshomaru told her, "Now that you have permitted this, not only does she have to come with me, but she will also stay with me without the hope of being rescued by you or your companions, including Inu Yasha."

"Is that what I just agreed to?!" Kagome squealed as she received the most deadly of glares from Yuki's violet eyes.

_'No WAY is this all for the best!'_

"I swear, Yuki," Kagome shouted, panic filling her eyes, "I didn't mean it!" Then she turned back to Sesshomaru, "Sesshomaru, there has to be something else! How about we just let you borrow her for a week in return for letting you go back home?"

"You don't seem to understand the situation, so I will explain it to you," Sesshomaru replied as he began to slowly approach the women, "I'm not the one who wants to leave this place. You are the ones who are sending me away. So, in order to get what you want, I want something in return, and that's her!"

"Hey! I don't know who you _think_ you are, but I can tell you that you are not the boss of Kagome or me!"

"Really?" he asked, "Well, according to your so-called 'friend' I am, and you are coming with me, whether you want to, or not."

With that, Sesshomaru picked Yuki up off of the ground and slung her over his shoulder, making his way back to the well.

"What the hell are you doing? Let go!" she screamed as she wildly struggled against Sesshomaru, banging her fists uselessly on his back while kicking and screaming. But Sesshomaru simply ignored her shouts and continued on until he finally reached the well and jumped down it and back to the Feudal Era.

Once back out again, Sesshomaru set Yuki down onto the grassy ground, grabbed her wrist and began pulling her along as she continued to struggle the entire way. But she did eventually stop to let out a low growl of frustration at the situation. Then suddenly, at the top of her lungs she yelled, "Bad! Bad boy!"

Flames enveloped the man, causing him to release Yuki's wrist as he bent over, putting a hand to his face and the other to his torso at the torture of the heat. But Yuki didn't move though. She didn't run either. She could only stand and watch in fascination as the fire eventually died out, leaving a very agitated Sesshomaru. As he slowly straightened once again, he shot daggers of pure anger at her with his eyes. "Don't… ever… do that… again," he huffed.

But Yuki just slapped him across the face, and continued to yell at her determined keeper, "What do you think you're doing?! You obviously don't like me in the least bit, so why do you keep doing this? Just tell me what the hell is going on!"

As she continued and went on with her rant, it seemed that Sesshomaru didn't hear her words as he slowly turned his head back to look at her. He gave her the most demonic of glowers that Yuki had ever seen as his eyes glowed red. It instantly shut her up and cut off her words as she stared up at him, not feeling so brave anymore as he took a step towards her, causing her to take a step back.

"You have no idea how relieved I will be to get rid of you," he growled. _'What?'_ Yuki thought as she froze in her place, _'So he wasn't planning on me staying with him then? He doesn't plan on killing me, does he?'_

Then he once again grabbed Yuki's arm and once again began to pull her along. "Ow!" she cried, "That hurts!"

And finally fed up with her, Sesshomaru just slammed her against a nearby tree in response. "Believe me; it is going to hurt a lot worse if you don't shut that annoying hole in your face!"

For the first time, Yuki was actually terrified by his threats and his piercing stare. Not just afraid… but terrified. Those beautiful eyes… tainted with the intimidating fire of anger. Thankfully, Sesshomaru released the hold that kept Yuki's back to the trunk, but immediately afterwards scooped her into his arms, carrying her bridal style as he darted off into the forest.

His speed was incredible and it even a little frightening. After all, he could have simply dropped her at any moment, accidentally or not, and she probably would have gotten hurt very badly on contact with the ground.

Yuki had to close her eyes to help avoid her fear of being abandoned by him in this very way. In fact, she was so scared of this ride that she actually grabbed onto Sesshomaru's shirt and cowered, turning her head so that her face was digging into the cloth that she held in her fingers.

_'Oh God! This damn well better be for the best!' _

Then suddenly, they came to a halt. Yuki didn't move for a moment, nor did Sesshomaru. He simply stood in his spot, looking down at his cargo with newly restored patience. Then, slowly Yuki opened her eyes to find a HUGE surprise. This wasn't the campsite at all...


	8. Chapter Eight: Home Sweet Home

**Koneko:** Really quick, I would like to thank all of my readers for making this series so popular so soon. I love you guys! You rock... hard! I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!!!

**Dulcet**: -slaps- Get a hold of yourself! You are SOOOO worthy! This story is the bomb!

**Koneko**: LIES! ALL LIES!!! I should probably just quit now!!!

**Dulcet**: -takes out big vaccine- DON'T SPEAK CRAZY TALK! Now come here! It's time to go night, night Krazy Kitty...

**Koneko**: YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME BACK TO THAT NUT HOUSE ALIVE!!! -pounces away and into a high branch of a tree-

**Dulcet**: -sighs- -.-' I gotta go, guys. Enjoy the chapter!

**Koneko**: Dulcet! I climbed too high again!

**Disclaimer**: I have no anime or manga to my name.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Home Sweet Home **

This most definitely was NOT the campsite. But why had Sesshomaru taken Yuki to a castle? Who resided in this palace that she needed to see? No… surely Yuki didn't need to see the king that must have obviously lived there; she was not important enough to see the owner of such a fine home. The appointment must have been for Sesshomaru!

But Yuki couldn't help but gawk and gape in wonder at the beautiful place before her. She was so spellbound by its majesty that she hardly even noticed Sesshomaru gently setting her down and continuing on ahead of her. "Come," he called after her, instantly snapping Yuki out of her daydream.

As they entered through the gate of the heaven on earth, Yuki couldn't help but look for every detail. The spring flowers that bordered the path of the courtyard were obviously well cared for. Yuki also took note of the warm morning sun as it shone into the small garden with perfect light as it reflected off of the water of several fountains.

Yuki wasn't able to see much more than that though because Sesshomaru was going at a rather hurried pace into the entrance of the castle with two grand doors that had been closed to the forest. But Sesshomaru now opened these large heavy doors with ease and went into the Entrance Hall where a melee of servants were rushing around, carrying out their daily chores.

Surprisingly, they all stopped their work to give him a respectful bow. But as Sesshomaru passed by these servants, Yuki not only noticed that they were all female, but also that a few of their expressions had far more than respect on their mind. The looks in some of their eyes were almost like… affection. That's what caused Yuki to look up at him. How could anyone be infatuated with _him_? He wasn't THAT good looking.

But Yuki had to catch herself on this comment. Now that she actually studied his features, he did seem rather handsome in her eyes. His mouth seemed not to frown, but to relax in the most superior of ways. His eyes were not blank and cool as she had often thought of them. Instead, they seemed strong and confident as he marched through these hallways. Perhaps it was possible to admire him after all…

"Welcome back, Lord Sesshomaru," a girl greeted as she approached him and bowed her head, "We were all beginning to worry about you when Sir Jaken and the Little Miss returned without you."

"Not to worry, Mimi," he replied, finally stopping, "I simply ran into a small diversion."

The girl that Sesshomaru had called Mimi had not risen from her bow, but was peeking up at Yuki, the new arrival to this palace. "I understand," she said, finally coming out of her bow, "But I am afraid that I have bad news for you, my lord." My lord? These were _his_ servants? So Sesshomaru was the so-called king of this castle? That's when Yuki thought back to what Kagome had told her about him. _'Oh yeah…' _she recollected the fact, _'He's a lord. Lord of the Western Lands.'_

"What is it?" Sesshomaru questioned, even though he really didn't seem to care.

"Naraku came just the other day," the servant girl answered, "When I told him that you were not in, he wanted me to make sure that you knew that he would return within a week's time, but he will most likely be coming sooner than that."

Sesshomaru didn't move for a moment. He seemed to be taking in this statement along with a deep and serious thought. But then Sesshomaru finally nodded and continued onwards with Yuki following close behind as she quickly tried to look around and take everything in the best she could at the pace they were going at. The walls were adorned with paintings and other such lovely decorum. Every once in a while, Yuki would see a servant or two in otherwise abandoned rooms hard at their work. These girls would usually stop to glance up at Sesshomaru and Yuki, probably because she was new and unfamiliar to them all. Or maybe they were looking up to see Sesshomaru. Either way, he seemed to ignore them as he made his way through the castle.

One girl, who had been carrying a vase with newly picked flowers, actually stopped and dumbly stared in amazement that there would be a new addition to the people staying int the castle. But in her surprise at the new face, she accidentally let her fingers loosen around the ceramic. The vase quickly slid through her hands and began to drop, causing Sesshomaru to reach out and catch it for her to avoid it shattering on the floor.

At first, the girl seemed very embarrassed at her carelessness as she accepted the vase back from him. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru," she told him, not able to meet his eyes.

But he didn't say anything in return though. He simply continued onwards down the hallway and away from her. The servant shrank as she watched her master leave. Her saddened expression struck pity into Yuki's heart, so she did what anyone else would have: she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled at her. Then, in her most comforting tone, she said, "We are lucky that Lord Sesshomaru saved such a lovely flower arrangement, aren't we?"

The young girl blushed and nodded in both agreement and thanks for Yuki's kindness. "I picked them myself," she told her meekly.

"Hurry up!" Sesshomaru called down to Yuki, without any anger or any other form of displeasure in his tone.

So, Yuki flashed one last smile to the now blushing and grinning girl and then rushed after Sesshomaru. Helping people and making them feel better always made Yuki happy for some reason, so now any bad or non-virtuous feelings had left her entirely. It was as if everything was right with the world again. There was no more anger in her heart and there probably wouldn't be unless it was provoked again.

For a few more moments, the two walked in silence once again. And just as Yuki was beginning to wonder where Sesshomaru was taking her, he interrupted her thoughts by commenting on her previous deed, "That was… very kind of you."

Yuki looked forwards and towards Sesshomaru, her eyebrows raised at the unexpectedness of the compliment. "Thank you," she replied, "But you were the one who actually stopped the vase from falling."

"Merely a reflex," he countered, "But you didn't have to… comfort her the way you did." This was strange… was Sesshomaru actually trying to make conversation? Was something wrong?

"I know," Yuki replied, not knowing how else to respond to Sesshomaru's statements. Apparently, he didn't know what to say either because an awkward silence immediately followed.

"Um… where are you taking me exactly?" Yuki questioned, finally attempting to fill the silence.

"Your room," he replied, finally stopping at one of the many doors that ran down the long hallway. As far as Yuki could tell, this place was the servants' quarters. These walls were bland and undecorated, but they were still in very good condition.

Sesshomaru slid open the door and stepped aside so that Yuki could enter the room, which she did. She poked her head through the doorway to find the small room had two beds inside. In fact, it had two of everything. It was almost as if one half of the room was an exact reflection of the other. That is, except for one difference. One of the small beds had a work uniform laying out on it, while the other did not. "Change quickly," Sesshomaru ordered Yuki, referring to said uniform, "You will begin your chores immediately."

After giving a small nod in understanding, Yuki went into the room and had the door closed behind her. She then heard Sesshomaru's light footsteps start back down the hall, growing fainter and fainter until they were no more. Going over to the bed and lifting the dress, Yuki's brows nearly touched as more confusion filled her head. This couldn't be why Sesshomaru had taken her back…

Yuki then began to strip off the kimono that Sesshomaru had given her to wear when she had first met him and then put on the working attire that had been prepared for her. Then, just as she was finished putting on the labor kimono, there was a light knock on the door. "Hello?" a female voice called, "Um… Yuki, was it?"

At the sound of someone calling, Yuki instantly went to go answer the door. She slowly slid the door open to see the girl from earlier, Mimi. "Hello, Yuki," she greeted with a very small bow to which Yuki awkwardly repaid, "My name is Mimi. I will be your roommate, mentor, and hopefully your friend as well!"

Mimi's personality really seemed to break the ice quickly and it made Yuki smile just as big as this new acquaintance did. Mimi seemed so nice and happy now that she was with an equal and not her employer, who she had to act so formal around. Not at all like that quiet girl that Yuki had seen upon arrival. "But we have no time to spare!" Mimi interrupted Yuki as she was about to say something, "We must get to work right away!"

And so it began. The first duty on the agenda was cleaning up the 'Little Miss's' room. "First we'll have to pick up Miss Rin's toys and put them away," Mimi told Yuki as she herself began to do so. Honestly, Yuki couldn't imagine why a girl Rin's age would need so many toys! Nor could she configure why she played with so many of them at once! But the playroom didn't take long to clean, nor was it a difficult task.

Actually, the chore was so easy that Yuki actually began to try to make conversation to pass the boring time. "So how long have you worked here?" she asked Mimi.

Continuing to pick up the scattered playthings, Mimi thought about the question for a moment. "Well… I've been here since I was about your age. Seventeen years old I think I was…" she replied, "So it's probably been about three years."

Yuki picked up a small picnic blanket up off of the floor and began to fold it neatly."Wow…" she commented. She herself could never imagine living three years with the work she'd seen the others doing. Every single day they'd do it… so was that her life now? But that couldn't be why Sesshomaru had brought her here…

"So you must know a lot about Sesshomaru then, huh?" Yuki interrogated, wanting to see if she could find out more about this man that she now would be temporarily serving.

But Mimi's attention snapped to her new partner, her eyes filled with surprise. "Please, Yuki," she corrected, "Say _Lord _Sesshomaru!... and yes, I do know a thing or two about him. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Yuki replied, earning herself the reaction of the other woman stopping her progress completely.

"I know what that means," she told Yuki, worry and concern in her tone, "You say 'no reason' because you don't want me to know why you're so curious, and knowing him and seeing the reactions he's gotten out of most girls, I'm guessing you have feelings for him. Isn't that right?"

Yuki froze with surprise as she gaped with the reflex that was disgust. "Feelings?" she repeated, "For that idiotic jerk? No way! Why is it that everyone accuses me of that every time I ask a question about him?" But then she stopped and listened to herself. Did she really think so poorly of him?

It was amazing to Yuki that she could honestly tell herself that she didn't regard him negatively at all! After having been dragged, thrown, and bossed around by him, somehow Yuki just couldn't hate Sesshomaru at that moment. But why? Was his last left impression of normality the reason? Or maybe it was only because she was just beginning to see a different side of him? Well, whatever the reason, Yuki decided to follow this new opinion of him. _'I will give him one last chance,'_ she told herself.

Now, Mimi had shrunken under Yuki's raised voice and the thrashing of Sesshomaru. "Don't talk of Master Sesshomaru in such a way," she warned her as she glanced around, "He is a good man."

Raising an eyebrow, Yuki had to wonder about this comment. "A good man?" she repeated, with more of a curious tone than a mocking one, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well…" Mimi began, thinking of what to say next, "Did you know that most of the women here are working to pay off debts owed by their family?"

Shaking her head gently, Yuki seemed to stop her work to listen to what her co-worker was telling her. "Well, they are," Mimi continued, "And it may not sound like much, but it really means a lot to them that they are able to help their families like this. Many other lords would have had the women provide services in a very… different way."

Yuki stared at Mimi in confusion as she tried to piece together what she meant by a 'different way'. Then, her eyes went wide with realization as she let out an elongated, "Ooooooohhh… I see."

After giving a nod, Mimi continued. "But it's not only the women he employs though, in case you were wondering," she pointed out, "Men work too. Usually he puts them in the fields outside or as guards here in the palace. There are many people in his land that are thankful for his system or else they might not have been able to pay their owings."

Nodding, Yuki went back to work, pondering about this new side of Sesshomaru she had discovered. So he wasn't the evil tyrant she had suspected him to be after all… he was actually a good leader by giving these people a chance by letting them work to pay off their debts to him. But for what? They lose all liberties this way. By becoming employed here, they were agreeing to stay here until all debts have been repaid. "So we are all slaves then?" Yuki asked, ice creeping into her voice as she said these words.

Continuing her own work, Mimi shook her head no. "Everyone here is here by choice," she explained, "We've all made a deal. It was either working here to help our family, or having the debtor killed."

That last phrase paralyzed Yuki with fear. He would have murdered those who owed him something just because they hadn't given up someone to labor for him? Well, that was the end of the 'good leader' theory. Those debtors that lived must have felt lucky that they had someone to give. "But what of those who have no family to give Lord Sesshomaru?" Yuki questioned, "Did he have them work for him instead?"

At first, Mimi didn't answer. She only avoided looking over at Yuki as she went to go put an armful of toys away. "No," she answered. She paused for a moment to give a sigh. "'If a man cannot find a way to pay off his previous taxes, then he will have a much harder time keeping up with his current ones,'" Mimi quoted, "That's what he told me when I asked him why he did such a thing. He said that he was doing them a favor by releasing them from their obligations. That's why their kin that pay and owe nothing have to work here... so that they can retaliate for their loved ones. That's why so many are willing to work for him."

Both of the girls were silent for a few minutes more. How could Sesshomaru do something like that? How could he kill those who had so much trouble getting by? It was… so sad. But still, even after this, Yuki could not hate him. In fact, the only emotion she felt was sadness for those who had been murdered. Sesshomaru was really living up to his name: "Destruction of Life."

The two girls didn't talk for a while after that. In fact, the next time they spoke was when Yuki tried to switch gears by asking questions, "So do we ever get days off?"

Mimi smiled at the question and nodded. "Yes, we do actually get a break every so often. If it is a very special holiday, Lord Sesshomaru will excuse us from work. Or we could ask him personally if we have a good enough reason. But it was to be an extremely good one. Once, a girl asked if she could go visit her dying grandmother and he turned her down."

"Wow," Yuki commented, "That's really harsh."

Mimi nodded. "The last known case of someone getting out of here on a 'day off' was a couple of years ago when Miss Rin had fallen very ill. One of the girls had to go out and find medicine for her."

"So… I've been wondering about her," Yuki commented as they came to a group of girls washing the hardwood floors with rags, "Is Rin Sesshomaru's daughter or something?"

They then came into a small kitchen crowded with people rushing around as they prepared the food for the evening's dinner. "No," Mimi answered as she skillfully dodged her way around the hasty workers, "Lord Sesshomaru just came back one day with her and told everyone that she would be staying. But even though he doesn't admit it, everyone knows that he thinks of her as a daughter."

Yuki shook her head with confusion. "What is with him?" she asked to no one in particular, "It's almost like he's two completely different people! One is calm and somewhat liked while the other is merciless and feared by all. It doesn't make sense!"

"I know it might seem confusing at first," Mimi told Yuki as she put a tray of food into her hands, "But you'll be able to be able to partly understand him before you know it."

"What do you mean by 'partly'?"

"Well, no one can really understand him. You can spend your lifetime trying to figure him out and you never will."


	9. Chapter Nine: Learning Their Ways

**Disclaimer: Dulcet: **If you think I own Inu Yasha, you are as crazy as my alternate personality.

**Koneko: **Hey! Are you talking about me again?

**Dulcet: **Uh... no. You're just hearing voices again.

**Koneko: **Okay. That would explain it.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Learning Their Ways**

After picking up a food tray of her own, Mimi began to make her way out of the kitchen through another door which both her and Yuki exited through. On the other side, was a large Dining Hall with a very long oak table that the host, Sesshomaru, and his guests currently sat at. But now that Yuki saw other people sitting there, she noticed for the first time that she had hardly seen any other guests before now. Yes, there had been a few here and there, but hardly any more than that. She had been wondering where they had all been.

But it was here in the Dining Hall that she first saw so many of them. Sesshomaru sat at the head of the table, indifferently watching the liquid in his cup as he jadedly swirled it, only half listening to the noble next to him. The man speaking hardly seemed to notice his listener's lack of attention because he was going on full blast about some game that he beat an opponent in earlier. The blathering probably would have been enough to drive anyone to insanity!

This little thought made Yuki smile as she saw how Sesshomaru was being tortured so by the man's continuous conversation where no one would have been able to get a word in even if they had wanted. Mimi went to a noblewoman and set down the tray of food without receiving so much as a word of thanks for her service. Yuki was then told to give her tray to the younger lady sitting next to her. This adolescent that was about her own age, however, gave Yuki a small thankful smile as she listened to who seemed to be her mother going on in envy about the quality of the fabrics that some other woman they knew wore. But after seeing her daughter acknowledging Yuki, she waited until she thought she was out of earshot to say, "Don't pay the commoners any mind. Especially those who are serving you." Of course, she had heard it loud and clear.

But was this really all that nobles had to speak about? Fabrics and games and ignoring peasants? How could anyone ever stand it? Then, just as Yuki was about to leave with Mimi, she heard a familiar voice. "Wait!" it called out to her.

Yuki obeyed and turned to see Rin staring over at her, then smiling. "Miss Yuki!" she called as she waved her hand and beckoned the woman over to her. Sesshomaru looked up from his cup to see Yuki while the man next to him finally stopped to his bragging see what was going on. Biting her lip, Yuki began to make her way over to Rin, crouching down so that she was at eye level with the sitting child. "It's been so long since I've seen you," Rin told Yuki, her playful grin growing evermore, "I've missed playing with you!"

As she let slip a light smile, Yuki tried to ignore the stares that a couple of the other guests were sending her at seeing a servant speaking with one of their own. "I've missed our time together as well," she replied, "And it was very nice to see you again, but I have to return to my chores. Okay?"

Nodding in understanding, Rin grinned. "Okay, Miss Yuki," she told her, "I hope I see you around more."

Without another word, Yuki stood again, the gazes of Sesshomaru and the talkative man following her as she left. But feeling very awkward at this, she tried to hurry out to escape the attention, not of the stranger, but of Sesshomaru. It always felt so odd when he paid her too much attention. It reminded her of those times in the campground when she would catch him with a fixated gaze on her. Sometimes he would look away at being caught. But it was times like this when he didn't avert his gaze that Yuki hated.

Thankful to be out of that room, Yuki went to Mimi who now informed her that they would be helping with the laundry outside. "Why are we jumping chore to chore, anyways?" Yuki asked as she began to tie up her sleeves, "It feels wrong to start one thing and leave other girls to finish it while we move on."

"You don't have to worry about that," Mimi explained, "You won't be doing it for long. Soon, we'll fix you up with a permanent position based on what you're good at, right after you've gotten used to performing each type of chore."

"I see," Yuki replied with a nod as they sat down to a tub of worker's clothes, "So what job do you perform?"

"Me?" Mimi repeated as she began to scrub one of the kimonos against a washboard, "Well, when I started out, I washed floors. It was the absolute worst! My knees were always bruised, my back ached constantly, and I was always exhausted after the day was done! But throughout the years I have been promoted to many different jobs until I got where I am today: I'm a Marshal."

"What's that?" Yuki questioned, as she took the kimono she had been working on and put it on a clothes line to dry.

"What I do is I go around the castle and make sure that no one is shorthanded or overbooked," she replied, "If either is the case, I make sure that each station has a balanced number of workers to help. I also take care of everyone. You know, I make sure that all the girls are healthy and well cared for. It's earned me the nickname Mother Marshal." Mimi laughed at this for a moment. "Ah... yes. We're all like one big family."

That's when a girl popped into the clearing that was used for laundry, pushing a large wheeled hamper piled with clothes galore. "Got another load for you, ladies!" she cried teasingly.

"Oh come on, Miku!" another girl complained, "Why couldn't you have just thrown them into the fire and saved us a couple of hours?"

Mimi called back, smiling, "Well why couldn't any of you girls keep your uniforms clean for more than an hour?"

The rest of the women giggled. But Yuki raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked why that had been funny. "Well you see, it is considered a skill to keep our kimonos clean for a good period of time, seeing how with this work that can easily be dirty them," she explained, "It takes time to learn how to keep them nice and fresh through the passing days so, if you wash your clothes often, you are considered ill experienced and clumsy in your work and are therefore worthy of mocking."

But even after this odd explanation, Yuki was still confused on why it was funny.

"Oh, you'll learn with time," Mimi assured her as she continued to work.

Then after shrugging off the strange custom, Yuki reached into the tub where other clothes were soaking and she pulled out a blue shirt. "Hey Mimi," Yuki called as she looked at the garment, "You said that there were men who were working to pay off debts as well, right? Why haven't I seen any?"

"Because the guards are stationed near the exterior of the castle or at any entrances or exits that people could use. There are also usually a few in places where there are a large amount of nobles, like in the gardens or the Dining Hall or maybe patrolling the nobles' quarters. Sesshomaru doesn't usually station them in the places we go to, like the kitchen or the servants' quarters."

Yuki nodded before going to work on the shirt she held. Just then, the girl named Miku came by and grabbed a couple of handfuls of clothes from her load and began to throw them into the tub. "Where were you last night, Miku?" a girl at Yuki's station questioned her, "Not with Yoshiki, I hope!"

"Hush, now Tsubame!" Mimi scolded, her tone sounding as if she had many more years than she really did, "Of course Miku wasn't risking being caught just to see that man again… were you?"

Miku gave a nervous smile, knowing that she was about to receive the scolding of a lifetime… again. "Miku!" Mimi exclaimed, "How many times have I told you not to go sneaking around anymore? It's forbidden! You could be killed if you were caught!"

"But we won't be," the arrogant woman argued confidently, "No one goes down to the boiler room and you all know it. The only way that anyone was to find out is if someone told Fluffy."

This entire time, Yuki was watching and listening to girls with a mixture of oblivion and interest. What was going on? But the conversation went on until Miku finally walked away with her load to disperse it to other tubs.

Mimi heaved a heavy sigh, and then turned to Yuki. "Yoshiki works down in the boiler room," she finally began to explain, "He and Miku met by chance a couple years ago and have been lovers ever since. I know I should report them, but I don't want to betray Miku. Besides, it's probably not going to come to anything."

"But why is it a bad thing in the first place?" Yuki questioned, "You know that they meet every once in a while?"

That's when Tsubame answered, "It wouldn't really be a bad thing if there wasn't the chance that Miku could become pregnant during these meetings."

"Do not assume such things!" Mimi told the girl, "We don't know that's what they're doing."

"Please Mimi," Tsubame scoffed, "This is Miku we're talking about here. And besides, what else is there to do after two years?"

"You'd think that incident that happened last year would have scared her out of it," Mimi commented as she went to go hang the kimono she had been washing.

There was a silence after that. It was just urging Yuki and her curiosity to finally ask, "What happened?"

Neither of the girls said anything at first. Then Mimi finally started, "Last year, there was a girl here that sort of… took care of Miku. She treated her as a sister and Miku looked up to her. But there was one problem: she was a little more fond of men than the rest of us are."

"That's an understatement," Tsubame cut in, "This woman was a straight up who-"

"Please! Learn to hold your tongue!" Mimi cried.

The younger girl shut up instantly. "Anyways," Mimi continued, "One day, she became pregnant, which is forbidden to the servants that are working off debts here. It slows down their progress and work habits and once they become mothers, it all goes downhill from there. So, the man was punished by being forced out which eventually lead to his father's death. The woman's child was given away. Luckily, she didn't have to suffer losing her baby because she died in labor."

Yuki sat staring wide eyed and open mouthed at Mimi. She then looked over to Tsubame, who nodded. "That's… wow," were the only words that Yuki was able to get out.

"I know," Mimi agreed, "It's horrible."

For the next few minutes, the girls worked in silence. None of them could think of what to say. That is until Yuki recalled something that Miku had said earlier. "Who's Fluffy? Is that the name of someone's pet here?" she questioned, causing Tsubame to break out in laughter and Mimi to give a slight giggle.

"You know that's not nice, Tsubame," Mimi chuckled. Then, turning to Yuki, she explained, "Fluffy is one of the nicknames that the staff has given Lord Sesshomaru."

Yuki snickered at first, but eventually burst out laughing right along with Tsubame.


	10. Chapter Ten: A Special Chore

**Disclaimer: **I wish I did own Inu Yasha so I could manipulate the story into the most random and unexpected plot twists... but I don't. -sighs- Shame.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: A Special Chore**

After plopping down onto her bed, Yuki curled up on its comforting surface. What a day it had been! Yuki was exhausted! "Well, I think your first day went rather nicely if you ask me," Mimi commented as she sat down on her own bed.

"I've never worked so much in my life!" Yuki moaned as she began to change out of her dirty, wet kimono and into sleeping wear. Her choice night ensemble was an old kimono that had had its sleeves torn off and the hem shortened so that it was above her knees. Usually Yuki would have scorned wearing anything like that, but it's not like she had much of a choice. She wasn't sleeping in clothes that she had been working in all day and it's not like servants got sleeping gowns made of fine silk. But once she got into bed and felt the cool sheets against her bare skin, she couldn't care less. The bed seemed so soothing to her aching and overworked muscles. "It wasn't that bad, was it?" Mimi questioned, raising an eyebrow as she began to change her clothes as well.

"I actually think that it was going pretty well until the floor scrubbing," Yuki yawned as she cuddled her pillow, "I can see why you hated it so much when you first started out here."

"Mhm," Mimi responded as she lied down in her own bed, "But hopefully things won't come to that. That job is only reserved as a punishment or for those girls who can't do any of the other jobs right. So you most likely won't have to…"

But she trailed off as she noticed the closed eyes and steady breathing of her roommate who had just fallen asleep.

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The next day's beginning was much worse than the first. Yuki was awoken at the crack dawn to go have breakfast with the other servants in the kitchen where they had to prepare their own food. Yuki wasn't especially well trained in cooking so she had to settle with an omelet and pre-made soup.

Fortunately, it was just the start that Yuki needed. Throughout the day, Yuki did less jobs than she had the day before and did them for a much longer period of time at each station. First, there was serving breakfast to the nobles, which was easy enough, beside the fact that she had to keep herself from glancing over at Sesshomaru to see if he had noticed her, all the while trying not to be noticed by Rin, who would have brought attention to her for sure. Then, Yuki had to scrub the floors, which killed her knees, back, and arms. Luckily she only had to do this early in the day when it was still cool out so she didn't have to labor when the hot sun shone on the decks that she scrubbed outside. Unfortunately though, it robbed most of her strength that she needed for the rest of the day.

Later, there was dusting, maid service, laundry duty, and then serving lunch. This time however, as Yuki turned to leave, she heard someone once again stop her. "Wait," their voice ordered, "Don't go just yet."

Yuki swallowed as she felt a large nervous lump begin to form in her throat. She turned to look at Sesshomaru who was now staring back at her, waiting patientlyfor her to come to him. And like the good little servant she was, she did this, rather hesitantly and reluctantly. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked with a small bow of false obediance, "How may I help you?"

"I have a special chore for you from now on," he answered her.

The pace of Yuki's heart quickened as her mind jolted. If Sesshomaru was saying it, it couldn't be good... _'Please don't let it involve him… Please don't let it involve him…'_ she prayed, _'Oh please, oh please, oh please let it be far, far away from him.'_

"From now on, you are going to be Rin's babysitter," Sesshomaru finally told her.

At the sound of her name being mentioned and this news, the little girl next to him looked up from her food and grinned. "Do you really mean that, Lord Sesshomaru?" she questioned, "Miss Yuki… my babysitter? This is the best day ever!"

Letting out a great sigh of relief, Yuki looked up at the ceiling for a moment. _'There is a God,'_ she thought, _'And he's gone above and beyond my request!'_

Then, returning to the present situation, Yuki bent in thanks. "I'd be honored to take care of Miss Rin," she told him as she tried to hide her smile from all of the others that were seeming to stare openly at her. For being the higher class and all, they seemed very rude in their treatment to her.

"Good," Sesshomaru nodded, "You start immediately. Once Rin has finished her meal you two can go do… whatever she does all day."

"Ooh!" Rin exclaimed, "But I am done, Lord Sesshomaru! Does that mean that we can go now?"

"Remember your manners, Rin," Sesshomaru corrected her. It was in that statement that Yuki had to stare at his expression. It seemed so parental in those few seconds.

"Sorry, Lord Sesshomaru," she apologized. Then, she cleared her throat and in a proper tone that did not belong to Rin's personality, she requested, "May Miss Yuki and I please be excused?"

When Sesshomaru nodded in response, the polite and noble Rin disappeared, instantly replaced by her usual smile. She stood up and went around Sesshomaru's chair to grab Yuki's hand and lead her away. "C'mon!" she urged, "I wanna go take you for a walk in the garden!"

Rin seemed in such a hurry as she ran along that Yuki had a hard time keeping up while letting her charge hold her hand and lead her along. She was thankful when they finally reached their destination. The garden was the most beautiful and tranquil place Yuki had ever seen. The current season of springtime blossomed all around, from the warm sun to the brilliant colors of the flowers. "This is my favorite place in the entire castle!" Rin told Yuki as they went to go sit on a patch of grass under the shade of a weeping willow.

"I can see why," Yuki replied as she glanced around at the haven's wonder and lowered herself beside Rin. Then, rounding a corner, came a small group of noblewomen, hiding behind fans and masks of white powder, drawn-on eyebrows, and painted red lips. Upon spotting Rin underneath the tree, they stopped. "Hello, Rin!" they called to the cute little girl, "Out for a walk?"

"Yes, ma'ams," Rin replied, "Have you all met Miss Yuki yet? She's going to be taking care of me from now on."

"I don't believe we have met her," one of the young women replied, "We'd be delighted if we could though."

With that, Rin arose from her place and pulled on Yuki's hand, helping her up. "C'mon, Miss Yuki," she insisted, "They're really nice ladies."

So, hesitantly and shyly Yuki followed Rin over the to group. "Ladies, this is Miss Yuki," Rin introduced, "Miss Yuki, these are the ladies of the court."

"A pleasure to meet you Yuki, I'm sure," one responded as they all gave the smallest incline of their heads from behind their multi-colored fans.

"Likewise," Yuki returned as she also repaid the sign of respect, though she bended from the waist to make the bow appropriate for her social standing below them.

It was actually a bit unfortunate for these women that they had their fans up. If Yuki could have been able to see their polite smiles more than she had, then she would have been able to fall for their cheery conversation. But their eyes told her their exact thoughts: that she didn't belong there. That she should have been actually working like the other servants.

"So now that you have this new duty, you are going to start to reconsider your wardrobe, right?" one unnamed voice questioned.

"Oh stop that," another said, "What she is currently wearing is perfectly appropriate for her… status."

And so they were doing it. They were mocking her right in front of very face! "Oh, but we should be going," one of the ladies suggested, "There are other things to attend to."

"Well it was nice meeting you, Suki," another woman told her.

"Actually it's Yuki," the poor girl corrected as they walked away, but it was doubtful that they were even listening to her now as they giggled to one another, most likely commenting on something else that they found amusing about the servant girl.

"I'm sorry about that, Miss Yuki," Rin told her, "They're usually a lot nicer than that."

"It's okay, Rin," Yuki accepted in a hushed tone, feeling down about the silent insults she had just received, "It wasn't your fault."


	11. Chapter Eleven: The Maze

**Disclaimer: **Get it through your heads that I don't own Inu Yasha! -cries- Why can't I???

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**Chapter Eleven: The Maze and the Child's Plan  
**

"Your hiragana is very good for a child of your age, Rin," Yuki commented as she looked over her shoulder at the practicing girl's handwriting.

"Thank you, Miss Yuki," Rin smiled, "But you should see the older girls' writing! It looks so much prettier than mine! I wish I could write like them. That's why I practice!"

"Well, I like yours just how it is," Yuki continued, "But if you want to make it even better, then I like that too."

"Miss Yuki… how's your hiragana?" Rin asked, pausing in her writing for only a moment.

This question seemed to leave Yuki confused on what to say. "Very poor," she replied, "You see, I never really learned how to use it that well."

"But you can read it just fine!"

"Yes, but writing it is a completely different story!" Yuki defended, "I learned how to read and write it when I was much younger and since we simply use kanji where I come from my writing would be very rusty."

"That's really weird," Rin commented as she returned to her paper, "A girl who doesn't know how to write hiragana, I mean."

"What are you writing, anyway?" Yuki questioned, trying to peek over at the paper in addition to changing the subject.

"It's only a tanka," Rin answered, "It's not very good, but I will read it to you if you would like."

Yuki nodded in response. "I would like that very much," she replied, eager to hear what Rin had come up with.

_The sun swiftly sets_

_Ending yet another day_

_I lay my head down_

_And begin to sweetly sleep_

_Dreaming of what is to come_

"How nice," Yuki smiled. What was sad though, was that Yuki probably wouldn't have been able to do any better than that poem that a seven year old had written. Maybe it just took practice. Rin seemed to like writing poetry. There were plenty of them hung up around her room. They were all decent, though lacked variety. All of them spoke of sunshine or clouds and other such cheerful things.

"Do you think so?" Rin asked, picking up the paper and looking over it. Yuki nodded once again. The little girl looked up from the paper and over at her nanny and smiled. "I'm really glad that Lord Sesshomaru thought of this," she told her, smiling with pure joy up at the older girl.

Then, she rose from her spot in front of her writing desk and went over to Yuki, pulling her up. "Let's go outside and play for a while," she suggested as she lead her out of the room, through a maze of hallways, and finally outside in the fresh air once again.

The sun was high in the sky by this time of day, yet the garden was nearly empty of people. It seemed strange that so few people had come out to appreciate this place's beauty. Then, suddenly Yuki felt a tap on her leg and the playful voice of Rin calling, "Tag!"

The child then ran off into the garden, giggling with innocent glee. Yuki gave a small smile before chasing after her. But Rin used the familiar twists and turns of the garden path to her advantage and easily dodged her pursuer. Soon, Yuki's teasing tactic of chasing her prey wore off as she soon actually became impressed by Rin's genius stratagem of avoiding her, that every time she was able to catch a glimpse of the girl turning into a row bordered by thick bushes, she would run the best she could in her kimono.

However, not even this worked. So, eventually Yuki stopped chasing Rin and began to try and figure out her next move. _'Last I remember, that path only goes one way…'_ she thought, _'So, if I just go to the end where she should be heading…'_ With that, she turned around and went to the other end of the walkway where the girl should have headed. Rin wasn't there, though.

Looking from one side of the column of shrubbery to the next, she finally noticed that Rin wasn't located in either location. So, Yuki went to explore the pathway she had last seen her go onto. At first, it seemed normal. There should have been nowhere else for her to run because the path was blocked by the four foot hedges of the garden on one side, and the ten foot hedges that served as a border on the other.

But it turned out that the taller wall of the two was not simply a barricade after all, because after reaching its midway point, she found a break in its neatly trimmed form. Then, without thinking, Yuki entered the maze in search for the lost child. "Rin!" she called, "Come out now, please!"

There was no answer. _'Oh God!'_ she worried as she quickened her step, delving blindly into the labyrinth, _'Good going, Yuki! You lost Rin! Sesshomaru will kill me!'_

It only seemed like a few minutes by the time that she had come to a hundred dead ends, turned countless corners that all looked the same. And somehow in the confusion, she had lost her way back out. "Great…" she said aloud, "Now _I'm_ lost."

After a few more minutes of aimless wandering, Yuki at long last came to a new landmark: a small clearing in which a fountain gently trickled. Who she found there was not the person she had expected or wanted to find though.

Sesshomaru looked up from the pool he had been staring into and turned his attention to Yuki. He straightened in his seat on the fountain's edge after he became aware of who had disturbed him. "Where is Rin?" he questioned, not seeing her by the woman's side.

_'I'm dead,'_ Yuki thought to herself as she hung her head. "I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru," she began, "But she slipped away from me and ran into this place… I haven't been able to find her yet."

For the next few moments of anxiety, Sesshomaru said nothing. As he stood, Yuki had to force herself not to look up at him or flinch. However, her gaze still slowly wandered to look up at him, only to find something amazing on his face: complete and total calm. Then, instead of losing his temper like Yuki would have expected, he merely nodded in understanding at the report. "I see," he finally replied as he began to take a path out of that small clearing. "Follow me," he called after her.

Instantly obeying his orders, Yuki trailed Sesshomaru, following a few feet behind him as he confidently and assuredly made his way through the maze, weaving through turns that never lead to any dead end no matter how long they walked.

But as they went along, Yuki couldn't help but fret over what Sesshomaru was thinking. Why wasn't he exploding at her? Why hasn't he even so much as reprimanded her? What she had done was unforgivable! _'Say something!'_ she telepathically told him, _'Don't just stand there! Say something!'_

Just then, as if he had indeed heard her desperate pleas, the great demon stopped in his tracks, still staring ahead of himself as Yuki went to his side, studying his distant expression. "Are you still upset with me?" he finally asked.

To Yuki, this seemed a very random and bizarre question to ask, especially at a time such as this. "What?" she questioned, wondering if she had heard correctly, even though his words had been loud and clear.

"I asked if you were upset with me," Sesshomaru repeated, "I wanted you to know that this entire ordeal of kidnapping is nothing personal. I just…" He trailed off. But it was within that pause that Yuki saw something in Sesshomaru's eyes that she thought she would never see there: uncertainty. What on earth could he possibly want to tell her that was this difficult? With their weak relationship, or lack there of one, it shouldn't matter what he told her… so what was the problem?

After waiting for the continuation that didn't come, Yuki looked to face Sesshomaru. "You just… what?" she questioned.

"Nothing," he shook his head as he continued on his way through the passages of the maze, "Forget it. Forget I said anything in the first place."

How strange… What could be the matter? What had that emotion in his eyes been just then? Nervousness? Hesitation ? Fear, maybe? What was with this guy?!? He had changed so much since they had arrived at the castle! It seemed that he was always paid special attention to her for some reason. Was the key she played in whatever he was plotting really that significant?

Yuki slowly followed Sesshomaru in silence as they made their way through the twists and turns of the labyrinth until they finally came to another small clearing: the maze's very center. This opening was much larger than the first in which Yuki had first found Sesshomaru. It was also much more elaborate in every way. Rose bushes were planted here and there, statues were set near other entrances, and the fountain in the center of it all was large enough to comfortably fit the small colony of koi that occupied it. Around this clearing were a few of the guests that were currently residing in the castle. Among them, was the little trouble-maker: Rin.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin called to her approaching master, "Miss Yuki! There you are!"

The small girl immediately left the care of the ladies that affectionately adored her to run and wrap her arms around Sesshomaru's legs. "It seems so long since I've seen you out and about!"

"Look, girls," on of the noblewoman swooned behind her fan, "It's Lord Sesshomaru!"

Of course, she hadn't said it loud enough for anyone but the women (and Yuki) to hear her. But then a few of the ladies began to beckon him over to come and spend time with the rest of the group. Rin immediately released him so that he could go. With that, Sesshomaru heaved the heaviest of sighs as he made his way over to the other nobles.

"Rin," Yuki called as she approached the small girl, "Why did you run away from me like that?"

"Because I knew that you'd follow me here," she replied, twiddling her fingers in a guilty fashion.

Raising an eyebrow at the answer, Yuki put on an expression of disbelief and curiosity. "And why did you want me to come here?" she went on.

"Because I wanted to make Lord Sesshomaru feel better. He's been keeping to himself a lot and I thought that he would feel better by coming here."

"But I don't see how you knew that leading me here would bring him to this place."

"Well, I knew that you'd find him eventually because the entrance we took can only lead here through that corner where Lord Sesshomaru was sitting. So, I figured that if you asked him to help you 'find me', then he would do it in a heart beat and then stay here with his friends once we were both here."

Rubbing her temples, Yuki tried to take in all that Rin had said. "So you planned all of this?" she asked.

Rin nodded. Yuki gave a sigh of exasperation as she looked over to where Sesshomaru was sitting among the others. He obviously wasn't very happy to be with his so-called friends because he had his head in his hands and looked very tempted to roll his eyes as the men joked with him and the women flirted with him.

"He apparently doesn't look very happy to be here…" Yuki pointed out, turning her attention back to Rin.

Rin kicked the grass with her foot and put her hands behind her back. "I know…" she said, "He doesn't really like many of the nobles here."

"Then what was the point of bringing him here so that he could be with them?"

"I never said that I was doing him a favor by letting him see them," she giggled with a mischievous gleam in her eye, "I brought him here so that he could see you."

Up shot Yuki's eyebrows as she stared at the child, trying to configure what she had just told her. "Rin…" she began, her heart beginning to beat with what seemed like fear, "Why would Sesshomaru want to see me?"

"Haven't you noticed?" she asked in a low tone, putting a hand to the side of her mouth, "I think Lord Sesshomaru kinda likes you."

Yuki's quickened heart pace seemed to suddenly halt altogether as she heard these words. No… impossible. Were they both talking about the same Sesshomaru? Then, Yuki turned away from the little girl just in time to catch Sesshomaru's gaze shying away from her as he pretended to be looking around at the scenery. However, he couldn't help but look out of the corner of his eye to see if Yuki was still looking over at him in return.


	12. Chapter Twelve: The Failed Collection

**Disclaimer:** Guess what I'm going to say next? I don't own Inu Yasha.

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**Chapter Twelve: The Failed Collection**

Throughout the rest of the day, Yuki was obliged to stay in the center of that maze with Rin and unfortunately right where Sesshomaru could see her. Every now and then, she would ask the young miss if she wanted to maybe go and do something else, but the child knew she had the power to keep Yuki in Sesshomaru's sights and she was going to use that capability to its full extent. What that girl was planning, Yuki would probably never know, but she was growing weary of it.

She even tried her best to ignore this new complication and do her duty of entertaining Rin. However, this task was not a difficult one to perform. Usually Yuki would play with her or sit quietly as the ladies of the court talked to and admired the precious child. But as she watched the noblewomen, something seemed off about them. It wasn't the demonic traits that they had acquired from their branch of demons, but something in the way that they smiled at Rin and when they looked over at or talked to Sesshomaru that bothered Yuki.

It was something in their eyes… but Yuki couldn't quite put her finger on it at first. It was hidden so well... Then only a moment later, she caught it. It was after one of the women had dropped her smile that Yuki realized that all of the other grins were false as well. This entire time they had been smiling at Rin just as they had been smiling at Yuki earlier in the garden. Their care towards Rin wasn't real… It made Yuki wonder why they were causing such a huge commotion over the child then. If they didn't care about her, why the fuss?

Then, Yuki's pondering was interrupted by a chorus of giggles erupting from the girls as one of them whispered, "Look! Lord Sesshomaru is coming over!"

Some of the girls reached for their fans and casually opened them. "Good evening, Lord Sesshomaru," one of them chided in a coy fashion, "What brings you over here?"

Turning his attention over to Yuki, he almost seemed to completely ignore the others. "May I speak with you… alone?" he requested.

The muscles in Yuki's body seemed to instantly stiffen with a nervous reaction. The rest of the ladies seemed utterly offended by this comment and many gave quick and jealous 'hmph's. But all the same, Yuki took this as a command and obeyed as she rose to her feet and followed after Sesshomaru as he led her away from the others and out of the clearing and back into the labyrinth that was the maze.

The silence that occurred between them for the first minute or so seemed very frightening to Yuki, seeing as how she had plenty of time to think about what was motivating him to do this in the first place. _'He couldn't really like me as Rin said, could he?' _Yuki pondered, _'I'm sure that it's all in my head… right?'_

Then, they came to a dead end, partially bordered with a solid wall. As Yuki was about to question why he had brought her there, Sesshomaru pressed a hand to the wall and slowly a heavy door began to open under his forceful push. Sesshomaru then walked through the passage and waited for Yuki to follow. She did just that only to find that they had now exited the castle completely, the setting sun's light darkening the trees beyond.

But as Sesshomaru took her away from the castle's barricade and out into the forest, Yuki surprisingly didn't think of trying to escape. Instead, her curiosity urged her to follow him. Now that the great demon seemed at unease, it made her want to know what he was going to do all the more.

Soon, they came to the smallest of clearings in which Sesshomaru came to a halt. He then turned to Yuki and stared at her, trying to summon up what words to say. Yuki, on the other hand, could not so much as look at Sesshomaru as he gazed upon her. She would have no part in encouraging any sort of these supposed feelings that Rin had suggested existed… which they absolutely could not have.

Sesshomaru looked down at the ground and closed his eyes as he began to form the words that Yuki had been wanting to hear for the longest of times. "Tonight… you will discover what all this trouble has been about," he announced.

Yuki froze in her place. This was it! All of those questions she had been asking herself for so long were finally going to be answered!

"But I have something else to tell you first," Sesshomaru went on, "You see, I don't want to tell you the first reason of why I have kept you with me quite yet."

With these surprising words, Yuki's face seemed to drop. "Excuse me?" she fumed, having had her happiness delayed, "And why the hell not?"

Sesshomaru finally looked back up to bravely meet Yuki's glare and told her, "If I tell you your purpose here, you'd hate me and… I wouldn't be able to stand that."

"I… don't think I follow you," Yuki replied, lightly shaking her head and squinting her eyes at him with confusion and suspicion. This was odd…

Slowly Sesshomaru began to approach Yuki, taking his time with each step. And with each inch that he came closer to her, Yuki couldn't help but to feel nervous at his approaching. What was that look in his golden eyes? That deep, yearning stare... it was enough to line chills up her spine and send her pulse racing with suspense.

As he finally reached her, Sesshomaru only stared down at Yuki with that exact gaze that she had always hated. In previous cases, it had only sent her into a state of uneasiness. But this time, everything was different. Those shining orbs had never watched her as intensely as they did now. The two of them had never stood so still, looking into the other's eyes. In the preceding cases, they had never been alone before… and Yuki had never been so scared before because now she was absolutely sure of what Sesshomaru was thinking behind that gaze.

But Sesshomaru saw this privacy more as an advantage than a curse. On top of that, that hypnotic stare had Yuki absolutely spellbound. Under this enchantment, she could no longer see her captor, her master, or her enemy. Instead, in those pleading eyes Yuki saw the longing of an admirer… and she wasn't sure if she disliked it or not.

She didn't know what to do in a situation such as this. She was totally lost in her mess of thoughts and any hope of being able to sort them out would be slim until she was able to stop this panicking.

Then, much to Yuki's fear, Sesshomaru finally made a move, lifting his hand to gently place it tenderly on her cheek. "Lord… Sesshomaru?" were the only words that Yuki could get out of her mouth. For another moment more the couple froze, neither daring to move a muscle.

At first, Yuki felt very frightened of what Sesshomaru was doing. But as time went slowly on, she continued to stare into his eyes, not able to tear her own violet ones away. There was something entirely captivating in Sesshomaru's expression. It made Yuki finally relax at his touch and return the same emotion that the man was portraying.

But this sweet moment came to an abrupt end as something began to spill from the cover of the trees surrounding them. This something was a small mist of purple toxic miasma. Sesshomaru instantly let down his hand and straightened, becoming alert as his eyes darted around for the source, knowing full well who it was using this distinct entrance.

A figure soon became apparent through the purple cloud, slowly approaching the couple. "What do you want, Naraku?" Sesshomaru snarled, his hand tensing, preparing to slash out at the threat if necessary.

The man named Naraku stepped out of the cover of the miasma to reveal long black hair and a smirking expression. "You know what I want, Sesshomaru," he replied, turning his maniacal eyes towards the human woman, "I want my prize."

Yuki gasped at that comment. This man was here to take her away? But why? It was then that Sesshomaru stepped in front of Yuki, blocking her from the challenger. "You can't have her, Naraku," he protested, his eyes narrowing.

"But Sesshomaru…" Naraku argued, "We had a deal…"

"I don't care," came the snapped reply, "Things have changed now."

Cautiously Yuki peeked from behind her protector to see the new arrival, his face as cold and emotionless as Sesshomaru's had often been many times before. But then, a humored quirk of the mouth appeared on the stranger's countenance. "I never thought that you, of all people, would ever dare such an act as you are now," he commented, "But no matter. I shall return for the human another day when you have come to your senses."

With that, a huge outpour of the poisonous fumes began to form around Naraku, shielding him from sight as it encased the two other figures and himself. At first, it only caused Yuki to cough a bit. It felt as if it was suffocating her and worse, spreading through her entire being. Her heart beat strongly as it ached for oxygen, her veins pulsing at every thump. But with each passing second that she stood there, she began to feel all the weaker in both mind and body until she finally blacked out entirely.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Let It Be War

**Disclaimer: **No way will I ever own Inu Yasha... even though it's nice to dream.

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**Chapter Thirteen: Let It Be War **

The sunlight that shone through the small window of Yuki's room slowly woke her from her unwelcome sleep. At first she could hardly remember what had happened to make her feel as she did: weak and sick. Slowly she sat up, holding her head as she felt the groggy side effects of the toxin that she had recently been exposed to. Even though her eyes were open, it seemed as if her vision was blurred over, blending each shape and color with the next. That is, until it finally worsened as the light headedness came. It was as if the purple cloud of miasma was filling her head at that very moment, fogging all thought and memory of anything except the fact that she had been contaminated at all.

Soon, as her mind began to settle, Yuki was able to open her eyes once again to near perfect sight and her brain was beginning to be able to process the scene before her. She was in her room that she shared with Mimi in the palace. Then where was Mimi? _'Working most likely,'_ Yuki thought as she pulled the covers of her bed away from her body and she slowly began to rise to her feet.

At first, Yuki could only sway as the weight of her body was applied to her legs, but she forced herself to move around, walking off the daze of her temporary condition. After a few steps, it almost felt as if she was completely back to normal! 'Almost' being the key word since she still felt weary and weak.

But then she noticed something; a kimono was laid out at the foot of her bed, waiting to be put on. However, this wasn't a worker's kimono like she should have worn. Of course, it was no beautiful layered robe either, but it was still one of the loveliest Yuki could ever imagine!

This silk felt soft and smooth as she delicately ran her fingers across the silver material, tracing the cloud-like patterns that were traced with blue thread. The off-white obi held the same shining appearance as the rest of the garment did, giving it a very impressive look. Nearby was a note for Yuki. _'A gift,'_ it read, _'A simple labor kimono did not suit the beauty of Rin's nursemaid.'_

It didn't take much for Yuki to guess that this present was from Sesshomaru. So then came the one-hundred-million yen question: Should she even put it on and wear it?

On one hand, if she wore it she would be openly showing her gratitude and acceptance of both the gift and Sesshomaru's generosity. That seemed the most polite thing to do, after all. It would only make sense for her to gladly wear it.

But on the other hand, Sesshomaru might think too much of her acceptance. After all, it wasn't too long ago that they were standing alone in the forest and… It was definitely a bad idea to wear it!

Then again, Yuki didn't want to disappoint Sesshomaru. This though wasn't because of the fact that she felt any connection between the two of them, because she certainly did not and could not ever feel such a thing. The only reason that she felt that she should do him this favor was to repay him for rescuing her from that Naraku fellow in the first place.

However, it was just then that Yuki recalled something that he had told Sesshomaru. _"But Sesshomaru…"_ he had said, "_We had a deal…"_

That's why Sesshomaru had kidnapped her! That's why he had kept her prisoner. He had struck a deal with that man. He had used her for a trade. And it was with this simple realization that she knew the answer to her simple kimono dilemma. It was what any girl would do in her situation.

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"Miss Yuki!" Rin exclaimed as her hands went to her mouth in excitement, drawing the attention of Sesshomaru who was sitting next to her at the dining table, "You look so pretty in that dress!"

It turns out that in the end, Yuki had decided to wear the gift. After all, Sesshomaru's plans in their beginnings may have been selfish, but he had obviously changed his mind about Yuki. This was apparent in the way that he had defended her against Naraku, refusing to surrender her. What she still couldn't figure out though, even as she sat so near to him at the table and gazed at him from time to time, was why he had done it in the first place. He couldn't possibly actually feel something of her, could he? Not even something as blunt as the event in the forest could possibly convince her of anything.

Yuki smiled at the compliment, her grin adding to the beauty that the kimono gave her. "Thank you, Rin" she replied, looking down at her hands as they rested in her lap.

"It is a rather lovely kimono isn't it?" one of the young noblewomen commented. After all of that time of being in the palace, Yuki had finally come to recognize this other female ever since she had taken on the position of Rin's caretaker only a few days ago. This demoness had been among the women in both the garden and in the maze.

Her name was Gaitsuko. She was the daughter of a very powerful lightning demon, and even though her element was indeed lighting, her words were well known as poison. "But I have to say…" she went on, throwing a glance over towards Sesshomaru to draw his attention to her speech, "I don't think such a lovely gown, even as simple as that one, should be worn by Miss Yuki here. Do not take me wrong, it's not that I don't think that she looks very elegant in it. I just don't think that she belongs in it." Then she paused for dramatic effect and to turn completely towards Sesshomaru, making sure that he was listening to the words that she was secretly directing at him. "She is a human, after all. And a commoner none the less. That is something that the finest cloth will never change."

Regardless of this insult, Yuki held her head high, trying to hide the offense and anger that was slowly building up inside of her heart. If there had been a mature and 'noble' way to stick her tongue out at the maniacal superior, by God Yuki would have done it!

Unfortunately, there wasn't. So, Yuki had to settle with keeping the dueling eye contact that the other woman had began with her. Each girl was looking for any sign of faltering or weakness in the other, hoping that maybe this gazing method was somewhat threatening. And it was to Yuki. Those proud, confident, and superior golden sunlight yellow eyes showed not even a hint of struggle. Gaitsuko knew that she had won this battle.

And even though this stare-down seemed to go on for days, in truth only a few moments had passed before Sesshomaru cut in. "A human commoner, she may be, Lady Gaitsuko," he said as he reached over to Yuki to tuck a wisp of hair that had fallen out of her bun behind her ear, "But it seems to me that she has a better sense of manners in that strand of hair than you carry in your entire being."

This stirred up a few chuckles from the other nobles and even a polite giggle from Gaitsuko. It was palpable in those demonic eyes of hers that she had clearly been embarrassed though and now felt contempt for the girl sitting across from her. "I only speak my mind," she defended, trying to shrug off the humiliation.

"Yes," the man next to her nodded, "Gaitsuko has always been this way and I, myself think that it gives her a sort of spark to her personality."

Then, as this lord went on, distracting everyone around him as they engaged into conversation whether freedom of speech should be considered an amiable quality or not, Gaitsuko looked across the table at Yuki. Her countenance only let across one message, 'Let it be war. Only the victor will walk away with their honor…' A simple side glance then a returned attention towards Yuki added to the lady's message, '… and Lord Sesshomaru.' Luckily, the vague and pretend score had already seemed been to be tied in Yuki's mind before she had even claimed this rivalry. Both Yuki and Gastuko had dealt their blows that day.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Let's Tie the Score

**Dulcet:** I would like to thank those of you who have remained faithful. **KEEP ON REVIEWING! IT'S THE BEST WAY TO SHOW ME THAT YOU WISH FOR ME TO KEEP ON WRITING! **Now, enjoy... or else.

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Inu Yasha, Naraku would either be dead, or have figured out some way to deal with that mass of long, unruly hair. -shivers-

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**Chapter Fourteen: Let's Tie the Score **

The shade of the willow tree was the perfect spot for relaxation during this warm time of spring. Yuki sat lounging on the soft grass as she watched Rin playing merrily with Jaken, who seemed rather annoyed by her insisting that he play with her in the first place.

Still, it was such a lovely scene. Gradually Yuki began to close her eyes, suddenly overcome by the weariness that her recent weak condition from Naraku's miasma had caused her. And just as she was about to drift off, she felt a sharp electric shock on the arch of her neck as someone pressed their index and middle fingers to it. With that, the sleeping human opened her eyes with a jolt and slapped her hand to the spot on her shoulder.

A light chuckle accompanied her awakening. Yuki looked to see Gaitsuko standing next to her, watching the two smaller beings play. "No falling asleep on duty, Yuki," Gaitsuko taunted as Yuki began to straighten, "That little brat over there is important to Lord Sesshomaru. God forbid something happened to her."

"I thought you liked Rin," Yuki commented, not looking over at the demoness so that she too was watching the game in front of them.

"Please… I hate kids," Gaitsuko corrected, "They're just so… cheery and… innocent and… ignorant. Then again, so are some adults… like you."

Finally looking away from the faraway pair, Yuki turned to glare at the noblewoman and opened her mouth to say something in retort. But that was when Gaitsuko interrupted her by adding to her preceding statement, "But wait… you're not an adult are you? You're just a little human teenager. I honestly don't even know why you're going to try to beat me at this little game that we've started. You're no match for me. We both know that I'll eventually get Sesshomaru in the end."

A surge of anger and frustration erupted inside of Yuki at that moment. Then suddenly, a nearby shrub spontaneously combusted into flames, the fire devouring the plant and leaving ashes in its stead in seconds. With this action, Yuki seemed more surprised than Gaitsuko, who only looked at where the bush had once sat with an interested eyebrow raised. "It looks like we have a little firefly on our hands," she smiled.

"What?" Yuki questioned, turning her head to look back up at Gaitsuko. The woman only raised an eyebrow in disbelief though. "You mean to tell me that you are actually confused about this little incident?" she questioned, folding her arms slackly in front of her.

But Yuki didn't answer Gaitsuko. She only looked away to avoid the judgmental stare from her enemy. However, this didn't stop the fact that she could still hear the small guffaw that came from the other girl. "So you actually didn't know you could do that?" she asked with a slight chuckle in her voice, "How stupid can you be?"

Yuki cringed at Gaitsuko's taunting. For some reason, a defeat from her felt as if it had tenfold the power of anyone else's attacks. This actually seemed strange to Yuki though. Why did she take these insults so harshly upon herself? Perhaps she simply felt inferior to this lady of the court. But why should she?

There was no reason after all. In fact, if anything, Yuki was Gaitsuko's moral better. So, Yuki was finally able to look up and smile at Gaitsuko. She knew that she was better at heart than this other female. "What are you grinning at?" Gaitsuko asked, staring suspiciously down at Yuki.

Shaking her head as a reply, Yuki continued to smile. First, to defeat this opponent, she would render her powerless. So far, it seemed to be working. "Stop that," the demoness ordered, whipping out her fan and beginning to wave it gently in front of her face as she felt her control over Yuki's morale beginning to slip through her fingers. Yuki could sense her opponent's uneasiness. She was already beginning to crumble just as her strategy was crumbling.

"Lady Gaitsuko!" a girl from a nearby passing group called.

Gaitsuko took this opportunity to take her exit. But before departing, she cunningly put on a fake expression of thought as she reviewed the conversation in her mind. "Let's see…" she said, "Today, I think that I've proven that the game is in my favor since I am obviously better qualified for the prize. See you around Little -Hotaru-!"

Then, with all of the grace in the world she turned and left Yuki.

Just then, Sesshomaru entered into the sight of both Yuki underneath the willow and of Gaitsuko who was with the other women. Upon spotting her, Sesshomaru slowly began to make his way over to Yuki. She smiled to herself as she saw the look on her rival's face as Sesshomaru could be seen going over to the human servant rather than the demon noble. She could tell that this dealt the thunder woman a terrible blow, now tilting the scales in Yuki's favor. So, Gaitsuko decided to try and distract him away from Yuki. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru!" she cooed, beckoning him to look her way.

He didn't, however, but instead continued towards Yuki. Another most awful strike to Gaitsuko's ego. Then finally he came to the weeping willow with Yuki still sitting underneath it, who was staring off at Rin as if Sesshomaru weren't even there at all. It was all she could to to not begin to panic again.

Then, without saying anything Sesshomaru took a seat next to Yuki and also looked out and watched his two familiar companions at their game. The two of them sat in that silence for a good amount of time, during none of which did Yuki feel uncomfortable with him for once in her life.

Finally, Sesshomaru was able to say something to Yuki. "I dreamt of you last night," he admitted to her.

Yuki was suddenly snapped out of her relaxed trance and was right back where she had always been: confused and worried. That comment had taken her totally by surprise! "Oh?" she asked in a hushed a nervous voice, "What happened in this dream of yours?"

"I'll only tell you if you come to see a dream doctor with me," he replied.

Raising an eyebrow at him, Yuki gave a quick, "Huh?"

"It was a strange dream and deeply disturbed me... enough that I couldn't get back to sleep last night. That's why I have decided to see a dream doctor," he explained looking over at her, "You should be there with me when I explain my dream and receive its meaning. With a dream like the one I had, it would be good idea. That way there won't be any way for me to hide its message from you. You have a right to know it. You are involved after all."

So, for a few moments, Yuki thought about it. This didn't sound like such a good idea to her. What if she didn't like the message that the dream had sent him? This seemed very likely because there was a very small chance that she _would_ like it. After all... he had DREAMT about her.

Regardless of her gut feeling though, she nodded to him. "I'll go," she agreed, regretting it once she had.

* * *

-Hotaru- firefly


	15. Chapter Fifteen: The Dream

**Disclaimer: **I feel like a broken record... I don't own Inu Yasha.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: The Dream **

So Sesshomaru and Yuki sat in the small hut of the Dream Speaker as the wise man rambled on about the importance of dreams. "They tell us things that we are oblivious or ignorant to in the waking world. The small things that we notice but pay no mind to might end up revealing their purposes in our dreams.

"For example, a man had recently noticed that his wife had become very emotional and had been having strange dreams of losing her wisdom teeth while eating a fish. This was simple for me to translate. Losing wisdom teeth is always a sign if either a suggestion to wise up or of emerging knowledge. The fish represents emotional matters that are affecting the dreamer. Both of these signs are very common among pregnant women."

"Excuse me," Sesshomaru interrupted, "But we would like to get this over with as soon as possible."

With that, as a reflex Yuki shot a stern glance over at Sesshomaru, pointing out to him that interrupting the man was a very rude action. But by the way that Sesshomaru didn't even seem to notice her looks, it seemed to Yuki that he didn't care if it was rude or not.

"Of course," the Dream Speaker nodded, smiling in understanding, "Please, tell us your dream, Lord Sesshomaru."

And so he told them.

---Slowly and steadily Sesshomaru made his way through the whipping white blizzard. He looked ahead of himself to nothing but the blur of fuzzy snow. The storm was so thick that he couldn't see a three feet in front of him and especially not where he was going. So then he looked to his right. It was the same daze of storm; as was the view to his left.

So now there was nothing to do but to continue on blindly through this snowstorm until it either cleared or he could find some escape from it and the bitter cold that was chilling him to the bone. But it was only minutes later when he saw said escape; there was a fire glowing up ahead of him.

Sesshomaru quickened his pace as he made his way towards the light, thankful that he had found something to help him escape these elements. But as he came closer to the blaze, he suddenly realized that this was no ordinary campfire. It was Yuki, but she was covered from head to foot in weak flames as she lay curled up with her back towards him in the snow that had melted around her.

At first, Sesshomaru thought that she was dead so he reached hand out to touch her to investigate if the fire that surrounded her was truly as warm as it looked. But what happened as he touched her shoulder was that he found that this fire was not hot, but simply warm. It only became a burning inferno once Yuki reacted to Sesshomaru's contact, causing her to tense and the flames to instantly grow out of her rage for him disturbing her.

However, he didn't let this frighten him away. Instead, he circled around her so that he could stare at her face to see what she was doing with her countenance. But what he found were not the narrowed eyebrows with the eyes that so desperately wished to glare at him that he had expected. Instead there were the eyes that were shut tightly as they shed angry tears of fury.

The gale and snow that had been blasting around them finally stopped as he stared down at Yuki, who's flame was still glaring intensely.---

"And then…" Sesshomaru paused only for the slightest moment before continuing, "I picked her up out of the snow and held her in my arms. That blaze that encompassed her soon began to die down once again to its original faint and warm glow. I could feel its heat as it protected me from the cold of the atmosphere surrounding us. I cherished this feeling as I cradled her in my arms, glad that the time of cold was finished. I even remember her scent as I breathed it in during those long minutes that we sat together. Then slowly, the sun emerged and quickly began to melt the snow."

He stopped once again as he seemed to stare down in recollection this vision. This pause was just long enough for Yuki to realize that she was doing something that she thought that she would never do again in his presence: she was blushing just as she had used to in her earlier days with him.

"So tell us what it means," Sesshomaru ordered, looking up to the old man.

The Dream Speaker was in deep thought, with his arms folded in front of him and his head bowed as he considered what secrets Sesshomaru's subconscious was trying to tell him. "Well, to start out, I want to know what you think it means," he finally answered, looking up to Sesshomaru.

"What I think?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. The Dream Speaker nodded solemnly. "Tell us what you think each thing might symbolize," he confirmed.

Sesshomaru took a moment to himself so that he might prepare for sharing what it might mean. "The wind might symbolize danger since it was nearly freezing me as it blew around the snow, threatening my life," he began, "The fire might have represented hope for my survival and escape from the cold."

"And the growing of the fire that surrounded Yuki… what do you think that meant?"

"Most likely it represented her malice towards me," Sesshomaru answered, causing Yuki to stiffen. Did he still believe that she hated him?

"Then what of the dying down of the fire once you embraced her?" asked the Dream Speaker.

As he gently gave the faint gesture of a head shake he replied, "I'm not sure." Then as he turned to Yuki he said, "The embrace could resemble me asking forgiveness. Her fire slowly dying might mean that she accepted the apology."

"So have you come to a conclusion about this then?"

He nodded. "If I ask for her pardon, she will give it to me," he replied.

Yuki and Sesshomaru stared at each other for a few moments. No one said anything as they gazed into the other's eyes, searching each other's souls. "Do you?" Sesshomaru finally asked, "Forgive me, that is. Do you forgive me for my cruelty towards you?"

Softly, Yuki nodded. Then she said something that surprised both her and him, "I forgave you a long time ago, Lord Sesshomaru."

The old man sat smiling merrily at the two until he finally asked, "Are you two married?"

The sensitive mood was broken with this question as Sesshomaru and Yuki both instantly turned their heads to look at him, both giving their own forms of denial at the same time. "Are you kidding me?" came Yuki's response just as Sesshomaru gave his, "Don't be absurd!"

Then, the Dream Speaker chuckled at their reactions. "Then I suppose that is safe to say that you are not lovers either?"

The silence of the other two answered the question in place of their immediate words. "No," Sesshomaru confirmed at last in a hushed tone, "No… we're not."

Silently Yuki stared at him. There was a hint of hurt in his speech for some unknown reason. "Then you might want Yuki to not be present as I tell you the true meaning of your dream," the Dream Speaker informed Sesshomaru, his voice serious and quiet.

With that, Sesshomaru looked to Yuki, then to the old man and then back again. "Do you want to hear this?" Sesshomaru asked her.

In her mind, Yuki knew she should have followed the old man's advice and left, but the curiosity that had brought her here in the first place was simply too strong for her to deny. "Yes, I do," she answered.

The elder sighed and began. "The storm itself means nothing. It is the combination that you must look at. Number one: the snow. Snow might resemble frozen emotions or impassive ones. The wind whipping it about meant that you were confused at a recent time in your life; you were unmoved or undecided. The fact that you couldn't see three feet in front of you was because these emotions nulled all hopes, dreams, or plans for the future. You didn't truly care what lay ahead of you.

"Then you find Yuki, encased in a warm fire. By my impression of her so far, I think the warm small fire symbolized her kind and innocent heart as she simply laid in the snow, weak and helpless. For you see, in this dream, her fire showed the nature of her heart while the storm showed the nature of your own.

"Then, as you touched her, she became angry with you. You had crossed her boundary. You went too far, so she put up her defenses and her heart was filled with anger and hatred for you. But you didn't go because her fire was the only thing that could help you get through the storm and to keep warm. That's when you went and circled so you could see her face, correct? And she was crying as she shed angry tears?

"That's why the gusts finally ceased. You had finally become interested in something. You were curious about Yuki; why she was not afraid of you but instead dared to be defiant of you. And as for the event of taking her into your arms… is there something you want to say?"

The Dream Speaker stopped at noticing that Sesshomaru was tensing, becoming nervous as this part was neared. But he shook his head to say that he wouldn't say anything, even if he really had wanted to. The old man went on, "I'll tell you why you took her into your arms. It's because as you watched her you suddenly didn't want her to be upset any longer. That's why. You wanted her to forgive you, this part you were correct on. You didn't want her to be angry with you any longer so you embraced her, comforted her, and tried to stop her tears. Her heart responded by letting the fire die down, comforting your cold body with the warmth of her kindness until it thawed your very soul, your heart.

"That was when the sun came out, melting the snow all around you. This portrayed the change that you are going through. Your icy heart is melting, Lord Sesshomaru. And do you know what is causing it? The fire of love that Yuki has planted there. You are finally learning to love another being."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened with surprise as he stared at the old man, almost appalled by what he had just claimed. Yuki, on the other hand, was gawking at Sesshomaru. _'Impossible…'_ she thought. So it was true… He loved her after all!

This was too much! It was all so sudden! So, in panic, Yuki stood up and bolted out of the small hut, ignoring Sesshomaru's calls for her to come back.

Off into the depths of the strange forest she plunged, the small, lone hut growing farther and farther away. Why hadn't he told her? Why couldn't he have just admitted it in the first place? This was no proper way for her, for anyone, to find out about something like this.

Finally she stopped though, out of breath and hopefully far enough away that Sesshomaru couldn't find her for a very long time. She had run away because she couldn't face him; she couldn't stand to be in his presence. That familiar feeling of frustration was building inside of her until she finally had to scream it out, "Why couldn't you just tell me like any other guy would? You jerk!"

But what would he think of her now, though? Would his heart sway once he knew that she didn't love him in return?


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Go Home

**Chapter Sixteen: Go Home **

Yuki must have drifted off some time or other because she awoke to nighttime rather than the daylight that she had stopped to rest in. Also a surprise to her: Sesshomaru was lying next to her, his back turned towards her as he slept. Or at least, Yuki thought that he was sleeping. But just to make sure, she whispered his name to see if there would be any reaction to it.

For the first few seconds, there wasn't one and she thought that she could possibly be safe for a while longer. He was just as stone still as before until he finally stirred into motion before finally sitting up, his back still to Yuki. "Lord Sesshomaru…" Yuki called out to him, trying to think of something to say to him.

"If it's any consolation, the old man was wrong," Sesshomaru told her, his voice as quiet and nervous as Yuki's had been when she had brought herself to utter his name.

"Oh?" Yuki asked as she felt a sudden shift in her breast. It almost seemed as if her heart had sunk. _'No,' _she told herself, _'It didn't sink. It was simply relieved.'_

"Yes," Sesshomaru said, "I… don't love you."

"Lord Sesshomaru… you're lying to me," Yuki accused, looking over at his turned back, "Look at me."

It took a few hesitating moments for Sesshomaru to finally turn and look at Yuki. It was with that that she knew that he indeed wasn't telling her the truth. His eyes gazed at her with more misery and longing than ever before as he sat with arms folded within his sleeves. Those shining orbs of emotion hypnotized Yuki and put her in a trance-like daze. Without thinking, she fell under their spell and her heart pushed her thoughts to Sesshomaru and then took over her very body and actions.

Slowly, she raised her hand and nestled it gently upon his cheek as a comforting gesture. Then, he casually closed his eyes and tilted his head into her hand while raising his own and placing it on top of hers. Yuki took a quick gasp of breath with the surprise of the feel of his hand. It was so cold… but it was this sudden chill that let her break away from his eyes and let her gaze move to his hand. And there on his knuckles and on his fingers was dried on blood!

"Lord Sesshomaru!" she gasped, taking his hand in both of hers as she examined it. There were no wounds on his hand and yet there was this blood. So if it wasn't his, then whose was it? "What did you do?" she interrogated, looking up into his eyes as he stared down at her.

"Don't worry… it's mine," he assured her, drawing his hand away and putting it back into his sleeve as he crossed his arms yet again, "I'm a demon, remember? Simple injuries such as those take not time at all to be healed."

"How…?" But Yuki left the question unfinished as its inquiry was clear in itself.

Sesshomaru hung his head once again in that pitiful shame and misery. "After you left, I pursued," he replied, "But the longer I chased you, the more I thought about what you would do when I found you. And then I realized the answer to this… You would reject me. Why else would you have run in the first place? So… I went mad with rage and began to destroy everything around me."

"Lord Sesshomaru…" Yuki responded in that pitying tone of voice, but she was cut off.

"Please…" Sesshomaru interrupted her, "Just tell me... do you believe that you could possibly ever love me?"

Staring at him in awe, Yuki considered this question with much thought. Could she? Looking at him now, he had gone cold again. There was that old Sesshomaru that she remembered from their first meeting. Then, she shook her head to him.

His expression didn't change, however. Instead, he stood up and began to walk away. "Follow me," he called as he disappeared through the trees.

Then, out of fear of being left alone in that forest, Yuki ran after him and as they walked in silence, Yuki realized that it was just like old times: Sesshomaru was leading her through the forest without her knowing the destination and she couldn't help but feel threatened by his silence. Yes, just like old times.

When they reached the spot, Yuki couldn't help but to stop in her tracks. Sesshomaru had taken her back to The Bone Eater's Well. Yuki then caught up with him as he stood in front of it, staring, almost glaring at it. "Lord Sesshomaru?" Yuki called again.

Then, suddenly there was a big explosion behind them, making them turn to see it. Out of the smoke charged Naraku, who immediately went towards Yuki, intending to snatch her away right then and there. However, he was cut off by Sesshomaru who stood in front of her in her defense. "Go!" he screamed to her.

So Yuki turned and ran towards her one way trip back home at full speed. But as she reached its rim, she had to stop. She couldn't leave Sesshomaru in this situation! "What are you waiting for?" Sesshomaru yelled as he fended off the other demon. But as he continued to fight, Yuki knew that she couldn't go. Even though the battle could go either way and Sesshomaru could have easily won, it was also just as possible for him to lose as well.

Seeing that Yuki wasn't leaving, Sesshomaru knocked Naraku so far back and so hard that he crashed through a few trees as he went flying through the air. Sesshomaru then took this opportunity to run to Yuki and turn her around to face him. "Go home, Yuki," he whispered to her, the rising sun peaking over the mountains, its light beaming down upon the couple. Then at that magical moment, Sesshomaru forcefully pressed his lips onto Yuki's, stealing the first and most likely last kiss.

Yuki's eyes opened wide at this action at first, but as the shock wore off suddenly, she actually closed her eyes and began to enjoy it, melting as she felt his kiss on her lips. Then, just after Sesshomaru deepened the kiss, Yuki began to raise her hand to place on his face, but before it could make contact Sesshomaru pulled away, picked Yuki up and dropped her down the well, sending her back home.

Now Yuki sat at the bottom of the well in her own time feeling dazed and miserable. If only he hadn't saved her again… if only he hadn't kissed her… if only he hadn't let her go home… Yuki probably wouldn't be so desperate to go back to him.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: A Few Answers

**Chapter Seventeen: A Few Answers**

"I'm so glad to have you back home!" Ms. Miyamota said for about the hundredth time as her daughter sat down to her first breakfast after having returned from the past. But Yuki didn't seem to pay any more attention to this declaration of happiness than she had to the last five. At this point, she had settled down into the idea of being back home and safe. Now, she was no longer melancholy about the fact that she had been forced to come back here and leave Sesshomaru to face Naraku alone. Instead, she was now downright furious!

She stormed about the house, ignoring various attempts of her mother trying to talk to her to calm her down. _'How could he do that?' _she kept asking herself over and over,_ 'One minute, he's proclaiming his love, the next he's taking it back! He kisses me, then sends me away! What is up with him?'_

But never the less, she fulfilled Sesshomaru's wishes and decided to stay in her own time. She did this not because he had wanted her to, though. Yuki stayed because she knew that Sesshomaru had been wrong in making her leave him. She would stay long enough so that he realized this and begin to suffer in Yuki's absence. The maniacal girl smiled to herself as she thought this. Yes… he would suffer much more before she would come back to him.

Wait… by why did she want to go back at all? As she pondered this, her smile quickly disappeared. Maybe it was because whenever she thought of him, the first thought to come to her mind was the recollection of their kiss. The kiss that made Yuki's heart pound, even now when she had just a moment ago hated him. Was that why she wanted to go back to him? Was she beginning to actually love him?

"Yuki," Ms. Miyaomta's voice came from the doorway of the bedroom, "I really think that we need to talk."

So the woman came in and sat next to Yuki on her bed. "What happened while you were away?" she questioned.

Shaking her head, Yuki replied, "It's complicated. Now's not the best time to talk about it."

"Now is the perfect time," her mother disagreed, "I want to know what is bothering you."

"I have to go to school," Yuki countered, throwing on her backpack and leaving the room and then the house as she walked to school.

As she went along though, she went back to the question of her feelings towards Sesshomaru. But not being able to sort through her feelings so quickly, she did was she usually did: she worried nonsensically and asked herself a melee of questions. _'Did I really enjoy that kiss? Does he really love me? Could it work out between us if we did go together? What if we separated?'_ Miraculously, Yuki had outdone herself once again by finding yet another mountain of problems. So, she started to try and answer them all, one at a time.

First, did she really enjoy that kiss? That was a no brainer! Yes, she had rather enjoyed the lip lock… of course, she had nothing else to compare to, so she didn't know if it had been good or not. _'My first kiss…'_ she thought to herself as she couldn't help but stop on the sidewalk as she approached her school, her hand going to her lips as if she could still feel it.

But did Yuki truly believe that Sesshomaru loved her? It seemed almost questionable with the way he had been acting before Yuki had left. He had once again turned impassive and cold once he had been told that Yuki didn't love him after all. So was the only reason that he had loved her because he thought that she could love him as well? If so, then why would he decide to love her in the first place? Why not someone else?

Unless, that is, perhaps the reason was not caused by the possibility of Yuki loving Sesshomaru in return. Maybe Sesshomaru had only by chance developed feelings for her. Then why pretend like he didn't at the last minute?

_**'Denial,'**_ a voice whispered in her head that was like her own. But the answer it gave was very good reason because in the end, Sesshomaru would always be the man who would still keep his feelings to himself, no matter what!

Then what if they were to become lovers? Would it work out? _**'Yes,'**_ that previous voice answered again. Yuki stopped and shook her head. Where were these answers coming from? **'No, it would never work out,' **a similar yet darker voice argued.

What was going on? _**'Yes,'**_ her heart's voice insisted, _**'Yes it would! Believe that it would!'**_

Then, just as Yuki was about to ask who was inside her head, she realized that both voices were hers, only talking in different mannerisms_. **'Listen to me, Yuki, and believe,'**_ her heart persisted, **_'Believe in yourself. Believe in your heart.' _**Yuki paused. _'M__y heart?'_

**'You're heart feels too much and knows too little!'** the second and much harsher voice countered, **'If you're going to listen to anyone, listen to common sense! We both know that he will eventually end up hurting you! All logic agrees! You're both too different! He's a demon, you're a human. He's a noble and you are dirt compared to him.'**

_**'If he loved you so little that he would end up leaving you, do you think he would have bothered?'**_ her heart fought, _**'Sesshomaru is not one to fall into love so quickly!'**_

_'Stop it!' _Yuki thought as she grabbed her head, trying to silence the differing voices. But just then, a new voice… a real voice… a MALE voice interrupted, "Yuki, are you okay?"

Lifting her head and opening her eyes, Yuki saw Kenji: the High School Hunk. Nodding her head and blushing with embarrassment, Yuki couldn't help but avert her eyes from the boy, only to end up glancing at the adolescent babe every few seconds. "Wow... You've really changed since you were gone," he complimented, looking Yuki up and down.

This only caused her cheeks to redden all the more, so she hung her head to try and hide her face. "You know, I've noticed that you've been gone for… a while," Kenji commented, finally giving Yuki the courage to look up at him, knowing that he had either not noticed or was ignoring Yuki's discomfiture, "And I was wondering if you had been feeling alright. I mean… you didn't seem sick before you left."

"Oh," Yuki replied, "I just had to go out of town. I'm fine, really."

Kenji smiled a handsome smirk as he ran a hand through his flawless black hair. "Great," he responded, "Then how would you like to come see a movie with me after school on Friday?"

With that, Yuki smiled. The cutest boy was asking her out on a date! "No thank you, Kenji," she told him, then began to walk past him.

This response of the girl left the poor boy in shock as he stood frozen for a few seconds until he was finally able to gather his senses. "What?" he asked, turning around to look at her, "Do you already have a boyfriend or something? Because I know you just didn't deny me because you don't like me!"

_'So do I love Sesshomaru?'_ she finally asked herself as she stared back at Kenji. For once, her head and heart agreed with each other. So Yuki nodded to Kenji and repeated their unanimous answer, "Yes, I do have someone else."

That day after school, Yuki rushed home. She had decided to forget her plans of revenge and go back to Sesshomaru immediately, right after she explained everything to her mother and picked up a few things to take back with her.

But when she arrived at her house, her mother was not the only one waiting for her. As Yuki came upon the living room, she heard two voices sharing a conversation; one was female; her mother, and the other was male; a stranger.

With that, Yuki rushed into the room to see the two adults calmly talking, Ms. Miyamota in an easy chair and the man sitting on a small stool across from her. "Mom?" Yuki called, staring at the man who's back was turned to her.

Ms. Miyamota's eyes shot up to look at her daughter. She instantly stood and smiled at her as she walked towards her. "Yuki!" she greeted, "You're home! There's someone I would like you to meet."

The man turned around so that Yuki could get a good look at his face. His hair a full black color with a beard that made him look older than he probably was. His complexion gave a hint at his age as well, which was probably somewhere around his late thirties. But his eyes were what stumped Yuki. They seemed filled with knowledge as if he had lived several lifetimes and his smile said the same. Both characteristics seemed all-knowing.

But as Yuki took a second glance at the stranger's eyes, she realized something; his eyes were unique... purple eyes... her eyes. "Dad?" she whispered as the man arose from his seat and approached the other two. It WAS him! She recognized him from an old wedding photograph that her mother had shown her when she was little... he hadn't seemed to age a year! "I thought you were dead…" Yuki told him.

"Dead?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow at his wife.

"I was angry at you so I told Yuki that you died in a car crash on your way to the hospital to see your newborn daughter," Ms. Miyamota explained.

Mr. Miyamota chuckled at the creativity of his spouse, then shook his head seriously. "No," he told Yuki, "I didn't die. I simply… left."

"You left?!" Yuki exploded, "Why?"

Putting his hands in his pockets, Mr. Miyamota stared down at the ground. Then, he gave a heavy sigh and replied, "Because I wasn't ready to handle a baby yet. Even back then when I was over three thousand years old."

With those words, Yuki's mouth dropped. "Three… Thousand… years old?" she mimicked, unable to believe her ears. But he didn't look a day over forty!

"Yes," he confirmed, "Oh, that's right! You don't know about my family line… Well… sit down and I will explain it."

In a state of awe, Yuki willingly sat down and listened intently to her father's tale. "The Miyamota family line is a very long one," he began, "Legend has it that our greatest ancestors were some mythical forms such as fairies or spirits. But, in truth we are simply human, gifted with incredible powers. You see, way, way back, your forefather served as a samurai under a very powerful demon. This demon was a legendary one though, basically a god. He was the Guardian of Elements, able to control any natural life force. But the only fact that made him ungodly was that he was not immortal, for one day, he became very ill and called his strongest warrior to his side.

"On the Guardian's death bed, he gifted that warrior with all of the elements so that he may pass them down to his children and their children until our family was to be no more. But leaving such responsibility with any regular mortals would have been unwise, so he also gifted our family with supernaturally long lives; once our powers begin to appear, we begin to age at a slow rate of one year for every one hundred that passes. Also, each family member can only control one element which is determined by their personality. For example, my character involves being very calm, so I was rewarded by receiving the power of ice. But what about you? What gift do you have?"

Throughout the entire story, Yuki had been struck speechless by the absurdity of it all, but now that she was ushered into talking, she snapped out of her state and pondered the question. "I can't be sure… but I think I have a fire thing going on. I guess that would be the only way to explain the strange things that have been happening lately…"

"Fire?" Mr. Miyamota repeated, then he cracked a huge grin, "You have the fire element within you?"

Nodding in confirmation, Yuki said, "Yes. I do, even though I have no idea how to actually use or control my power."

Mr. Miyamota cringed at this, his eyes squinting as though he had just seen a car wreck occur right before his eyes. "No control over fire? That's not good…" he commented.

Then, just as Yuki was about to ask why that was, a sudden realization hit her. "Mom!" she exclaimed, turning to Ms. Miyamota, "I have something to tell you. I want to explain where I have been for the past few days.

And so she did, minus a few romantic details.

Both of the Miyamota adults were silent for the next few seconds, taking in all that their daughter had informed then on. "It's not possible…" Ms. Miyamota commented, not able to believe that the past held a world of demons and magic.

"But it is…" Mr. Miyamota countered, "Remember, I lived there myself… but that is not what worries me."

"It's not?" Yuki questioned as she sent a confused and questioning glance towards her father.

The man shook his head solemnly. "The demon that you mentioned… Naraku… he is the true problem... Yuki, I have a confession to make: It is my fault that he is after you."


	18. Chapter Eighteen: A Surprise Upon Return

**Chapter Eighteen: A Surprise Upon Return**

Yuki stared at her father, one eyebrow raised in question and disbelief that her father, who had returned to the family after sixteen years of absence, had anything to do with her life… especially her life in the feudal era.

"It's your fault?" Yuki questioned, completely confused on how it could be true.

But he nodded in confirmation, regret and misery apparent in those aged lilac eyes. "I'm afraid so," he explained, "You see, when I was young, Naraku attacked our village in attempt to slay everyone and capture a girl there. It just turns out that the woman he chose was my sister. I had made a promise to myself that nothing would happen to her... So, seeing that Naraku would easily defeat me in combat, I tried to convince him out of it. But I made the mistake of telling him that I would give anything to save her from his grasps. So, he offered a trade.

"_'Your firstborn daughter in exchange for this woman's life,'_ he told me. And like a fool, I accepted. But I _had_ thought up a plan; I vowed that I wouldn't have any children until Naraku was dead. So I waited for that day, then waited for the right woman to come along… then you were born. Oh, forgive me Yuki, for I didn't know that this would happen. I never thought that your paths would have even been able to cross."

"It's okay, Dad," Yuki replied even though her voice and disposition showed that her mind was some place far away. So that was why Naraku was set out for her… but why did Sesshomaru help Naraku in the first place? Wondering this, she asked Mr. Miyamota.

"That, I am not sure of," he replied to Yuki's disappointment.

But she nodded all the same in understanding. She would simply ask Sesshomaru once she returned back to the past. Then in reminding herself of future journey, Yuki stood from her seat and began to leave the room. "I'm going back," she explained simply as she went up the nearby staircase.

No comment or action came from her parents, though. So, she was left to pack a few of her belongings in peace. That is until the last minute when she was about to leave. Her father stopped her as she headed down the hallway. "There is one thing that you have to do while you are in the past though, Yuki," he told her, "You have to promise me that you will master your powers."

Freezing in her tracks, Yuki looked into her father's shining lavender eyes with her own. She had actually wondered on how to do this as she had been packing. "How?" she questioned.

"There is a place called a Fire Temple," he replied, "But I don't know where it is. Each temple only reveals itself to a being that carries its element, so you will have to find it on your own. But you can learn your craft there."

"Thanks Dad… but I really should be going now," Yuki said as she made her way past Mr. Miyamota. What she didn't see though, was that he opened his mouth to question why she was so focused on returning to the feudal era and Sesshomaru so quickly, but closed it immediately as the answer suddenly hit him like a bolt of lightning.

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Upon return, Yuki found that the palace that she arrived to did not occupy the usual scene that she had expected. Maids and workers were not rushing about; there were actually very, very few in sight. And the nobles were not going about their daily affairs; it was almost as if there were none staying at the castle at all. That was when Yuki spotted a familiar face: Tsubame, a girl that she had met on her first day of work. So, she asked her acquaintance to explain what events had brought the grand place to become this abandoned structure.

But the very moment that she had spotted Yuki, Tsubame took her by the hand and began to rush her away and into the maze of hallways. "Thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed, ignoring the question of the lack of people, "I was beginning to doubt that you would ever return!"

"I have only been away for a day, Tsubame…" Yuki pointed out as she was rushed to their future destination.

"But so much has happened, Lady Yuki!" she returned, "So much has happened! For example, I know that you must have noticed that Lord Sesshomaru ordered most of the council away. He could no longer play host in his poor condition so the members went to Lord Raikou's home instead."

Nodding in understanding Yuki looked around, amazed by how different that place looked while it was so empty like this. Then suddenly, her eyes widened as she looked back to Tsubame as realization hit her like two tons of bricks falling from Tokyo's tallest skyscraper. "Lord Sesshomaru's poor condition?" Yuki repeated, the memory of the battle between Sesshomaru and the demon Naraku flooding back into her mind, "Is he hurt?"

Tsubame stopped in her tracks and gravely shook her head in denial. "Not really. His wounds are the least of his problems," she answered, "You see, he's been injected with a deadly poison… he's in a horrible state."

"Poison?" Yuki mimicked in a tone so soft that it could have been mistaken for the wind if they hadn't been inside, "And what are people doing to find an antidote?"

"Everything. The doctors have been working non-stop. Unoccupied servants have been sent out in search of a cure. But so far, the only luck that we've had is giving Lord Sesshomaru medicine so that he might sleep a few hours and be relieved of the pain and sickness."

"I want to see him," Yuki suddenly demanded, not wanting to hear any more of Sesshomaru's misery but instead having the urge to comfort him.

"That's where I'm taking you," Tsubame replied as she began to lead her onwards again, "He's been asking for you ever since he was settled."

This newly learned fact left Yuki speechless. He had been asking for her? But why? He of all people should have known that she would probably not come. After all, it had been him who had pushed her down the Bone Eater's Well and sent her back home. So why was had he been calling for her at all?

Finally, Tsubame stopped at a door. The two women listened for any hint of activity inside the other room, but there was none. There was only silence and stillness on the other side of that door. "Maybe he's sleeping?" Yuki suggested, beginning to have second thoughts about seeing the sickened Sesshomaru, "I think that I should come back later."

"No, no, no," Tsubame stopped her, "Let him see you. The poison has put him into miserable shape and he needs something to make him feel better. To see you has been his only request throughout this entire ordeal… Lady Yuki… you are the closest thing we have to a cure at the moment."

If a request is ever put in such dire words, it is usually difficult for anyone to deny it. And since Yuki hated to reject anyone's wishes, no matter who asked or what they were, it might as well have been God Himself asking her to fulfill this particular one.

And so, Tsubame slowly opened the door so that Yuki might enter the room, which she did. But inside, the bed sick Sesshomaru was not alone. No, instead, sitting at his bedside was Gaitsuko, holding a wet cloth to Sesshomaru's forehead as the demon rested with his eyes closed, possibly sleeping.

At first, the noblewoman didn't look up from Sesshomaru's peaceful face as she contently gazed upon it. But as Yuki slowly and quietly began to approach Sesshomaru's side, Gaitsuko slowly averted her eyes and allowed them to look at the approaching girl. "Well, well, well… look what the wind blew in," she snapped, her voice low and quiet, yet still harsh and defiant.

"Please, Gaitsuko," Yuki responded, shaking her head, "I have not come here to be insulted. I came to see Lord Sesshomaru… How is he?"

Then, as she took away the rag from Sesshomaru's countenance, beaded with sweat, she looked out from under her eyelids, wringing the water from the towel and returning it into the bowl. "Why should you care?" she asked, "It's your fault that this happened to him in the first place. It's your fault that you ran away, leaving him to fend for himself. You didn't even care if he lived or died, just as long as you could get home."

"Don't you dare insult me in such a way!" Yuki spat out, the fury of her element rising inside of her soul, "I care more for him than you do and you know it!"

As soon as the confession had escaped her lips, Yuki slapped both of her hands to her mouth as if to put the words back into it and prevent any others from coming out. But Gaitsuko simply stared at Yuki, her eyes cold and emotionless… it was an appearance that almost all demons seemed to have the talent of expressing.

Just then, as the silence had become almost too long and too quiet, it was broken as Sesshomaru began to shift in his bed, drawing the attention of the bickering females. He slowly opened his eyes, revealing dilated pupils and an expression showing how much they must have pained him. Then he turned his head to look at Yuki and he did the last thing that she would have expected him to do ever, especially in his situation: he smiled. It was a weak one that portrayed the severity of his health, but he was smiling all the same.

That was when he attempted to speak, his voice coming out in a whisper that neither of the women could understand. "What?" Yuki asked as she went to go kneel at his side. Sesshomaru then tried once again to get his message out, but once more it came out as the quietest of whispers.

So, in effort to hear him out, Yuki put her ear close to Sesshomaru's mouth so that she was finally able to understand the words that he was saying, "Thank you. I feel the same."

With that, he let out an exasperated sigh as he slipped into back into sleep, leaving the two girls alone once again. Slowly and steadily, Yuki sat back up, staring down at the sleeping man's face. "What did he say?" Gaitsuko questioned.

And so Yuki turned her head to look at the lady and she smiled a very sincere and modest grin. "He wanted to let me know that this game between you and me… it's over," she answered, returning her attention back to Sesshomaru as she slipped her hand into his, "I win."


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Unfortunate Revival

**Ye be WARNED. From here, there be CITRUS!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: Unfortunate Revival**

During the next few days, Sesshomaru began to show good improvement as he slowly seemed to come out of his ill health. He wasn't even able to sit up yet, but he could stay awake and hold conversations for about half an hour per awakening. It may not sound like much, but this was very good improvement considering the preceding state.

Fortunately for Yuki though, there were always others present during one of these times that he was awake so that Sesshomaru could talk to them instead of her. This was what Yuki wanted though. After she had finally confessed her love to Sesshomaru, Yuki didn't think that she was quite comfortable with him yet even though she was basically by his side at all times, whether he was conscious or not.

The only person that she felt uncomfortable with Sesshomaru talking to other than herself was Gaitsuko, who still refused to leave, even though The Game had already been called. But this also confused Yuki. Why was that woman still here even though she knew that her chances of getting Sesshomaru to love her had reduced to dust? Did she possibly believe that she still had a chance?

Well, whatever the reason, the lightning demon did not depart from the palace and so Yuki had to endure her as they both watched over Sesshomaru. Most of the time they were completely silent as they sat in that room, except the cases in which Gaitsuko shot a usual rude remark towards Yuki, only to be virtually ignored. However, one day the demoness was called away, leaving Yuki and the sleeping Sesshomaru alone together.

For the first few minutes, Yuki did nothing but stare at Sesshomaru's relaxed features. Though it seemed blank at first, after a few moments of gazing at him Yuki discovered the purity in his expression. He looked neither dead nor languid nor tired like she had seen others appear to be in their sleep. It was as if he was simply under a spell and this was an enchanted sleep like the ones that she had heard about in stories such as Sleeping Beauty or Snowhite and all he needed was a kiss from his true love to be awoken.

With that thought, Yuki's gaze wandered down and focused on Sesshomaru's poised and vulnerable lips. The thought of putting her own lips to them only flashed in her mind for an instant before she dispelled it and immediately averted her eyes from Sesshomaru's mouth. How stupid would that have been; kissing Sesshomaru while his was still sleeping?

But as she glanced back down to his mouth, it still seemed as tempting as ever. For just one moment she could kiss him… So, she gradually leaned down over Sesshomaru and hesitantly began to move her lips towards his. Then she closed her eyes when she was only inches away. This seemed to only reduce the speed of her rate, even though she could find no reason why it did. Nothing would come of it if she kissed him right then. No one would know about it.

So then why couldn't she bring herself to do it? Why did the one thing she wanted to do right now seem so frightening? But before she could change her mind for the last time, Yuki felt Sesshomaru's lips come up to meet hers.

At first, this surprised Yuki to no extent and she momentarily opened her eyes wide with shock. But after finally calming down again, she went on to enjoy the lip lock. That's when Sesshomaru pulled out another trick from his bag of surprises. Without breaking the kiss, he abruptly wrapped his arms firmly around Yuki's body and pulled her right out of her seat as he rolled over with her, the resulting position being with Yuki underneath Sesshomaru as he rested above her on his elbows and knees.

Finally Yuki pulled away and out of the kiss as she opened her eyes. When had he become healthy enough to even move as much as he just had? "Lord Sesshomaru?" Yuki asked as they both stared silently at each other, "Are you feeling alright?"

He didn't answer at first. Instead he watched his hand as it went to tuck away that one wisp of hair that always seemed to somehow fall out of Yuki's bun. Then after finally resting his hand on her cheek, Sesshomaru stared down at her. "I'm fine now," he replied as he began to lovingly stroke a small section of her cheek with his thumb.

Then, he began to lean down until finally connecting his mouth with Yuki's for a second time. As he deepened the kiss, Yuki closed her eyes and began to run her fingers through Sesshomaru's hair while the ecstasy of the experience began to run through her very veins, starting up her adrenaline.

The kiss then intensified as Sesshomaru deepened it once more. His hand relocated from Yuki's cheek so that it could then be placed along the side of her neck. And with that, he also took his lips away from Yuki's so that he could begin to place kisses on her throat, each one lingering for a moment before moving on to place another one.

These gentle gestures slowly made a path from Yuki's throat to her jaw line and then down her neck, making their way towards the arch of her shoulder little by little. At this point, Yuki couldn't help but wrap her arms around Sesshomaru's neck as her back began to arch, her chest pressing into him so that he had a very good chance of feeling the pounding of her heart as it beat so strongly for him.

But Yuki suddenly noticed a change in Sesshomaru. Now as he began to kiss and suck at that arch, he did it with a newly discovered hunger as he buried his head into Yuki's neck, obviously not intending to leave any time soon. "Lord Sesshomaru?" Yuki said as she noticed this change in the demon.

And then slowly Sesshomaru was finally able to pull himself away from Yuki to look her in the eye… but what she saw actually scared her. His malevolent smile showed demonic fangs that he had not bared before, but that was not the most drastic transformation, nor was it what had frightened her. What threatened her were his eyes. Suddenly, they had turned to a blood red as his pupils had become a dilated purple. They held a very evil stare to them, giving Yuki one last glimpse of their lusty malice before Sesshomaru returned to his work on her neck.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Yuki exclaimed trying to push him off of her. What was going on? What was wrong with him? Then she felt those pointed fangs against her skin, threatening to puncture it. "Sesshomaru! What are you doing?" she yelled using all of her strength in attempt to get him off of her.

It was to no use though. Sesshomaru took Yuki's hands by the wrists and pinned them above her head, holding them there with his monster strength. "Don't worry," he told her as he ran his cheek up and down her neck, breathing in her fear, "It will only hurt for a few moments."

Then he returned his fangs to the arch that he had grown so fond of, running those points back and forth across it, leaving chills with their passing. Finding a selected spot, Sesshomaru paused at it, applying the slightest amount of pressure to it and threatening the very spot that held Yuki's life.

The woman didn't know how much longer Sesshomaru was planning on holding this off but she didn't think that she could stand the suspense any longer. "If you're going to kill me, just get it over with!" she told him, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"I'm not going to kill you," he told her, drawing those dreaded fangs away for a mere moment as someone came crashing through the door.

Both human and demon stopped to see who it was. Yuki looked on in hopes of being rescued, but Sesshomaru looked in frustration at the intruders. Suddenly, two forms attacked Sesshomaru and wrestled him off of Yuki and onto the floor, pinning him down.

One of the saviors, a noble that had chosen to pay Sesshomaru a visit, realized that they would have some trouble restraining the crazed demon and so he called to a few other people who had tagged along. "One of you go and get a sedative!" he yelled, "The rest of you come here and help out!" The others obeyed as Yuki sat paralyzed with fear, her hair in disarray and her kimono slipping off of her shoulder. What had just happened?

After the group of several human escorts and two demon nobles had gotten a hold on Sesshomaru, he was finally put under somewhat control no matter how hard he struggled. Nevertheless, the helpers were having a hard time keeping Sesshomaru put. "Where are those sedatives?" one of the men called.

While this was going on, Yuki felt her fear gradually begin to melt away, only to be replaced by something much more deadly than the situation she had just escaped. Now she was filled with that fiery anger that she had been experiencing so often now that her powers had been awakening. In fact, she was so mad that she dared do something that she thought she would never have to again. "Bad boy!" she screamed, "Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! BAD!"

With that, Sesshomaru was encased in an inferno of red hot fire, causing his captors to jump back as the demon burned before them in a mean blaze. When the fire finally died out in what seemed like ten minutes later, Sesshomaru was still, his body and clothes not so much as singed as he lay unconscious.

The rest of the room turned their attention from him towards Yuki, who had obviously caused the incident, but she paid them no mind. She was too busy glaring at Sesshomaru to notice them. "Serves you right you mutt!" she yelled at him before getting up off of the bed and storming out. At first, the others were left speechless and thought that that was the last they'd hear of her when they were suddenly proven wrong as a single word came echoing down the hall, "Bad!"


	20. Chapter 20: Captured and Captured Again

**Chapter Twenty: Captured and Captured Again**

Pacing back and forth in the old servant's bedroom that she had not been in for a while, Yuki muttered random curses as she continued to fume about the circumstance that had only just occurred a few minutes ago. "How could he even dare do such a thing?" she asked the empty room as small sparks of fire literally exploded randomly in the air, "He had no right!"

But her rant was suddenly interrupted by Gaitsuko, who was now leaning in the doorway, indifferently checking her nails. "You better be careful with that temper, Little Hotaru," she told Yuki, "I heard what happened. Bad move on both of your parts… but I would have to say that your actions were by far the worst."

Freezing in her tracks, Yuki glared over at the new arrival, even though what she had said interested her. "What do you mean by that?" Yuki questioned, "I was the victim here!"

"True," Gaitsuko mocked in a cocky voice, "And if the others hadn't come in time, you would probably have become Lord Sesshomaru's little love slave."

This new information came to Yuki like a train: hard and fast. "Oh… I'm guessing by your silence that you didn't know…" the demoness said, putting a sarcastic hand to her mouth as if to say she regretted letting that news slip out, "But it's true. He was about to bite your shoulder, right?"

The only reaction Yuki could manage at this point was a dazed nod as her hand went to the spot that Sesshomaru had recently threatened. "Well for your information, that's how male demons mark their mates," she went on, returning her attention to her nails as she began to enter the room to sit down on one of the two beds, "Especially the animal related ones, like Lord Sesshomaru. They get so territorial sometimes that they just go crazy."

"So that's what happened?" Yuki was finally able to ask.

Heaving out an exasperated sigh at Yuki's lack of knowledge, Gaitsuko nodded. "I suppose," she confirmed, "You got him too riled up in the wrong way so his demonic animal instincts took over. Geeze… shouldn't someone like your mother be telling you about these sort of things?"

With that, Gaitsuko stood from her seat and turned to leave. But just as she was about to disappear out of the doorway, she turned back around to face Yuki, who was deep in thought about what she had just heard. "By the way," Gaitsuko called, "That little stunt you pulled with the fire show… that basically just guaranteed your demise. Bye-bye."

And so the wicked woman departed, leaving Yuki alone with her thoughts. _'My demise?'_ she thought to herself, _'How could that be? The nobles cannot sentence me to anything. They were helping me after all!'_

And so she was left to puzzle the matter. That is, until an old friend came through the door. "Yuki!" Mimi exclaimed upon seeing her old work mate again, "It seems like forever since I last saw you!"

"And then some!" Yuki agreed as she stood to embrace her friend, "How have you been?"

As the two reunited girls pulled away from each other, Mimi smiled. "As good as a Marshal can be! I've been relieved of so many duties that I don't know what to do with my spare time anymore!"

"That's great, Mimi," Yuki replied, her genuine happiness disappearing as her current problem began to return, creeping into the back of her mind. It was rather difficult to keep a convincing smile.

"I know!" Mimi returned and began to lead Yuki out of the room, "C'mon. Let's go for a soak in the hot springs. We can catch up."

"Okay," Yuki nodded, thinking that this sounded like an excellent idea, "Sounds good to me!"

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The warm water of the natural hot spring felt soothing to Yuki's muscles as she slowly slipped into the large pool alongside Mimi. "Ah…" she let out, "You were right, Mimi. This is exactly what I needed!"

"I'm glad that you're enjoying it," Mimi chuckled as she leaned her head back in relief from the water, "I usually come here when I need to be alone and sort things out since I'm the only one that comes here. Everyone else usually goes to the baths at the castle."

"I see…" Yuki replied, not entirely sure on how to reply to that comment.

"And I really think that this will be good for you too," Mimi went on, "Especially after… what happened. You were just lucky that those nobles requested so many escorts."

"Why did they do that?" Yuki asked, wondering what reason they could have for thinking that they were in that much danger, "I mean they're demons. They should be able to take care of themselves. Why should they require one guard, let alone several?"

"You didn't hear?" Mimi questioned, her eyebrows shooting up, "Naraku has been seen a lot around here."

A moment of silence between them followed, leaving the only sounds to be the rippling of the water as it smoothly fell from a nearby waterfall. Naraku was near? That could not have been good. Suddenly, another sound reached the girls' ears. Leaves rustled in a nearby bush, alerting them of someone else's presence. "What was that?" Mimi questioned, looking around nervously.

But no answer came because Yuki slowly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself as she rose from the water. Bravely she approached the source of disturbance, not knowing what could be inside it. A demon, maybe? Or perhaps it was just a peeping tom?

And so, Yuki pulled back some of the leaves of the shrub to look inside at its contents. Inside she found the last thing she would have ever suspected: a ferret. The young girl breathed a sigh of relief that it was just an animal. "Yuki, what is it?" came Mimi's voice.

"Just a ferret," Yuki answered, turning around to face Mimi.

Suddenly, a figure darted out of the trees, scooped Yuki into his arms, and then made off with her just as quickly as he had come. "Hey!" Yuki shouted at him, "What's the big idea? Put me down!"

"Sorry, no can do," the man answered, his voice giving a hint to his relatively young age, though he was obviously older and still more matured than Yuki, "I have direct orders from the boss. You understand, Lady Yuki, right? I'm just doing my job."

Unfortunately for this man, Yuki wasn't as forgiving as he had hoped. She continued to struggle her way out of his arms, but his hold was firm and limiting. But she continued to fight him for another few minutes until finally giving up, being forced to become content with glaring up at him. But as she examined his face, she became utterly annoyed. How could he keep such a playful and innocent expression as he kidnapped an innocent girl? How could those plain brown eyes keep their twinkle? _'You sicken me,' _Yuki thought and wanted so desperately to say.

But soon enough, they came to a halt in a clearing, and yet this man would not set her down. "Special delivery!" he called.

Yuki turned her head to look at who he was talking to and instantly became terrified. Naraku stood on the other side of the clearing, his back turned to the other two. "Good work, Yoita," his cold and empty voice sounded as he began to turn around to face the others.

"It was nothing… really," Yoita replied, his voice with a bored bite to it as he set Yuki down but kept a hold on her with one arm while he used the other's hand to run over his unkempt short black hair, "A monkey could have done it."

"A monkey, yes," Naraku agreed, "So I was actually a little concerned whether you and a rat could carry out the mission."

With that, the small mammal shot up and onto Yoita's armored shoulder, glaring at Naraku with red eyes. "He's a ferret," Yoita defended, "Not a rat. Not a weasel. A ferret. And you should give us more credit than that."

"Quite," Naraku replied with an uninterested eyebrow raised, "Now hand over the girl and you may be on your way."

So Yoita pushed Yuki out in front of him so that she stumbled forward towards Naraku. "Take her," he said, "But I don't see what's so great about her. Girls like her come in by the bucket loads."

Naraku suddenly transported himself in front of Yuki, startling her half to death. "Your work here is done," he told Yoita as he wrapped an arm around Yuki, assuring that she wouldn't run away, "Now go."

"Geeze," the young man said, raising his hand to scratch at the pink jewel shard that was embedded in his forehead, "Touchy."

But none the less, he turned to leave, his ferret following close behind. It was once the other two had left the clearing that Naraku threw Yuki over his shoulder and bolted off in a different direction, evoking the frustration of the pestered human. _'What is up with the guys around here lately?'_ she wondered to herself, folding her arms in pout. The only reason that she wasn't struggling like she had in recent circumstances was because by now she had learned that it was useless.

She did, however, scream. "Help!" she yelled, "Put me down!!! Let go! Someone help!"

Then, like a gift from a supreme power, something came crashing into Naraku, causing him to fall to the ground and drop Yuki. "Ow!" she complained as she hit the ground with a loud thud. But she immediately righted herself, fixing the towel that was the only thing that kept her covered. "What do you think you're doing, Naraku?" a masculine voice sounded a few feet away.

Looking towards the source, Yuki was surprised to see three men, all dressed in second rate armor and wolf pelts standing ten feet away. Quickly Naraku regained himself and grabbed Yuki by the wrist, pulling her to her feet. "This is none of your business, wolves," he retorted as he pulled his prisoner closer towards himself as if to prevent these new comers from stealing her away.

"Well I'm making it our business," the leader returned, taking a step towards the other two, "Now I don't know what the hell you're planning on doing with her, but by the way that she's screaming I can already tell that it's not going to be good. So, just let her go and you won't get hurt."

"Your threats are empty to me," Naraku said, "You couldn't even touch me, let alone hurt me. Why should I be afraid of you?"

"I never said that you should be," the black hair demon replied, "But I'd be little on edge about the little firecracker next to you."

"Please, don't humor me," Naraku chuckled, "She still has yet to learn control over her powers-"

"Exactly my point!" the wolf demon interrupted, "She can't control them. So you never know… one wrong move on your part, which will undoubtedly happen, and you could send her into a blazing fury. The next thing you know, you're burnt to a crisp."

"That's a chance that I am willing to take."

The demon shrugged. "Sorry, but me being the nice guy that I am, I just can't let you do that to yourself," he said, and then rapidly charged at Naraku.

Upon meeting him, he began to throw a storm of hits and kicks towards Naraku, but none of them landed on their target since the villain dodged and delayed the attacks with ease. The wolf then unexpectedly grabbed Yuki by her arm and pulled her away from Naraku's loosened grip, then sent her whirling towards the others. "Get her out of here!" he commanded them as he continued to play the distraction to Naraku.

The two men readily and immediately obeyed, one gently taking Yuki into his arms bridal style and whisking her away from the scene at a supernatural speed. Yuki couldn't help but to close here eyes against the whipping of the wind as it passed her by, the man not being all to gentle with her.Thankfully, after a few minutes, her carrier halted and Yuki was finally able to open her eyes. What she saw though was not the forest of trees she had expected she would see. Instead, she was surrounded by nothing but mountainous earth. "Where have you taken me?" she questioned the two men.

"Don't worry," the one carrying her reassured, "We'll be there soon."

"But where is 'there'?" she asked again. However, she received no satisfaction to her inquiry because the men then started off again, scaling the mountains up and down, left and right, front and back. It wasn't long before they stopped for the final time, much to Yuki's relieve pleasure and nervous senses. The man gently set Yuki down so that her bare feet touched stone ground as she also opened her eyes to find herself in the den of the wolves.


	21. Chapter TwentyOne: Further Explanation

**Chapter Twenty-One: Further Explanation**

"I'm back!" the leader of the wolf tribe announced as he entered the den hidden behind the waterfall.

"Koga!" one of the others called, "Finally! We feared that something might have happened!"

Waving a hand and dismissing that comment, Koga rolled his eyes. "Please," he said, "You all should know by now that no demon can out match me! Especially some half demon like Naraku!"

_'Geeze… this guy is really full of himself,'_ Yuki thought to herself as she sat at the back of the cave, aloof from everyone with only the dogs to keep her company, _'Wait… Naraku is a half demon? I didn't know that…'_

Just then, Koga turned his attention over towards Yuki and began to make his way over to her. "You okay?" he called from ten feet away as he grabbed a fur cape right off of one of his comrade's shoulders and began to make his way over to her, "That was a really close call earlier. You're lucky that we showed up in time."

Upon reaching her, the wolf demon then held out the cape to Yuki, offering it to her so that she might cover her near naked form. At first, Yuki just stared at the pelt. It wasn't exactly clothes… but it was close enough. At this point, she would take anything to hide herself better from these men. A towel just did not serve well enough. So, she silently accepted the fur and wrapped it tightly around her bare shoulders, taking comfort in its warmth compared to the damp cold of the stone walls.

Koga took a seat across from Yuki and just seemed to stare at her for a moment, scrutinizing her features as she became nervous from the attention. "You're a Miyamota… right?" he suddenly said after a few moments of silence had passed between them.

This accurate accusation grabbed Yuki's attention instantly. How could he have known that? "Yes," she replied shyly, "I am… A Miyamota, that is."

With this new information, an interested smile formed on Koga's lips, signaling Yuki that nothing good was to come of this. "Interesting… very interesting…" he stated, rubbing his chin with thought.

Because of this fascinated reaction, Yuki was hesitant and almost even scared to question about it, "Um… what is so 'interesting'?"

"You know fully well about your family legacy, right?" Koga asked. But without waiting for an answer, he went on, "Well, of course the Miyamotas have become famous for it. The moment a son is born, wealthy nobles begin bidding for him to serve as a soldier under them. And the daughters… well they have been prized by powerful demons for the extra abilities that Miyamota women gift their offspring and also the weakness that they possess so that their spouses can easily manipulate them."

At this, Yuki's eyebrows shot up with surprise. Was that all a Miyamota woman was good for? Were all members of her family auctioned off like this? "So that's probably one reason why Naraku wants you…" Koga continued, scratching underneath his chin with a forward sweeping of his hand, "Even though I can't rule out any other reasons that I've discovered."

"Other reasons?" Yuki questioned, "Like what?"

"Well, for one thing, you're a knock out," he replied as he began to scan her up and down, furthering her discomfort, "And another… he might just want to tick off Sesshomaru."

But Yuki only tried to ignore both comments since she didn't exactly like a strange man telling her that he was attracted to her and she especially didn't want to even so much as think about Sesshomaru then. "How is it that everyone knows about me and Sesshomaru?" Yuki questioned, accidentally voicing her thoughts and disregarding her want of avoiding the subject.

"Oh, well I heard from Inu Yasha that Sesshomaru sorta had a thing for a Miyamota girl," Koga explained, "But I didn't think a human would actually take to him."

"Could we maybe just drop the subject of Sesshomaru?" Yuki requested, her eyes narrowing at the very thought of him.

"Fine… fine," the wolf replied, throwing his hands up in defense, "It's not really any of my business and the only thing I should be asking you is where you want to be dropped off."

"Dropped off?" Yuki asked.

"Well you don't want to stay here forever, do you?" he interrogated, "I mean, I planned on a rescue mission, not a capture. But if you _want_ to stay that's fine by me too."

"No… thank you," Yuki told him, "If you could take me back to Sesshomaru's castle, I would really appreciate that though."

The first initial reaction for Koga was to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "That's weird because just a second ago, I thought you said that you didn't want to talk about him. And yet… here you are, asking me to bring you right back to him."

"If you could, I would be very thankful."

With that, Koga rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in a shrug. "Women… they're just too complicated for any man to hope to understand," he commented to himself as Yuki stood up to go, "But yeah, I could take you there… of course, it might take a while longer to get you there than it took getting you here, seeing as how I don't know the way to his castle."

"Well… do you know where the Bone Eater's Well is?" Yuki questioned, trying to find some common ground so that she might possibly be able to finish the voyage herself.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't happen. "The what?" Koga asked, but Yuki just shook her head. "Let's go then," she responded.

Koga gave a single nod before escorting Yuki to the mouth of the cave and then bending his knees a bit. "Hop on," he instructed, telling Yuki to get on his back so that he could carry her.

So slowly Yuki let the cape around her shoulders drop, revealing that towel once again. After all, she didn't want to keep the pelt with her because A) It didn't belong to her and B) She would be able to hold onto Koga with both hands if she didn't have the extra cover to occupy one hand.

Then Yuki obediently jumped onto the demon's back, his hands touching the bare flesh of her legs as he held her. "Okay," he told her, "Hold on."

But Yuki barely had any time to wrap her arms around Koga's neck before he took off and exited the den, heading into the rest of the mountains. It seemed like a while before they finally escaped the unlevel terrain though, because once they finally hit forest area, the sun was setting. Even worse, as it became dark out the two were forced to stop for the night because there was no moon or stars to give Koga light to see by.

However, stopping for the night wasn't such a bad thing. It was only a delay to Yuki; a minor setback from returning to the castle and the harsh punishment of having to face Sesshomaru again. But as the two travelers settled around the campfire, Koga couldn't help but asking about the matter, "So what did Sesshomaru do to make you so angry?"

A slight blush appeared on Yuki's cheeks at the sound of the inquiry. "Well, if you must know…" she told him, hardly believing that she was actually going to share the tale, "… he…_pounced_ on me."

"Ooh…" Koga teased, "I thought that would be a young woman's dream."

Now, the slight blush of pink darkened to a full on red. "Don't assume such things!" Yuki snapped back at him, even though she had to admit to herself that she had been enjoying it at first, "But it wasn't the fact that he pounced that upsets me."

"Then what is?"

"He… changed after a few moments," Yuki explained, "Someone told me that it was caused by his demonic instincts taking over his actions."

With that, Yuki could hear small chuckles coming from the other side of the campfire. These small titters then evolved into laughter, and then downright side-splitting hilarity. "What?" Yuki questioned, feeling a little offended that Koga was laughing at the situation.

"Oh… it's not you…" Koga explained between each gasp of breath as his eyes began to tear, "It's him!"

But somehow he was not able to get another word in until he was finally able to calm down.

"You see…" he began, but he wasn't able to finish because he then suddenly erupted into another yet another fit of amusement.

This strange behavior was actually beginning to scare Yuki a bit. Whatever it was that concerned that occurrence couldn't be _that_ funny… could it?

"What? What is it?" Yuki asked, her curiosity and interest piqued by Koga's reaction.

Finally, the man calmed down and sat back up from the position he had assumed on the ground as he had fallen over laughing. Then, as he wiped away a tear from his eye, getting a few last chuckles out of his system, he finally explained, "I'm sorry. I just find this really ironic since Sesshomaru is supposedly the 'most wanted' bachelor of the forest. You see… these 'demonic instincts' that we males were cursed with are just some of the tools we were given to encourage young demons to eventually spawn offspring. These 'instincts' give us the drive to… uh… well… you know… mate at the first sign of extreme temptation. You see… what I found so funny was that only virgin males possess this behavior."

And with that, he was off again, laughing his tail off and leaving poor Yuki with her jaw dropped. Sesshomaru… a virgin? Somehow, that really surprised Yuki, not that she had considered that he had been with other women before or anything. But anyways… she just knew that this new and shocking information would keep her wide awake and thinking all night… and if that didn't, Koga the Hyena probably would.


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo: Naraku

**WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! LIME ALERT! LIME ALERT! LIME ALERT!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Naraku**

It had been a miracle that Yuki was even able to get to sleep that night. Her weary mind had kept her awake by pondering some of the new information that Koga had been so kind as to share with her that preceding day. Not the fact that Sesshomaru was a virgin, though… because she was finally able to get a few chuckles out of that herself before dismissing it. No, instead she had been chewing over the discovery of Naraku's intentions for her. Actually, her ideas of the half demon's intentions were what she and Koga could only _suspect_. But even the thought about the _idea_ of that man taking her for his mate to produce a superior breed of demon caused Yuki to cringe with fear and disgust.

These horrible thoughts haunted her brain for a good portion of the night until she was finally able to find motivation to relax; she was safe now. Koga was here and she would soon be back inside the safety of the palace. There was nothing to worry about now.

Or at least, that's what Yuki had ignorantly thought. For when she next awoke next, these hopes were dashed when she opened her eyes to find herself sleeping in a bed that was unfamiliar to her and wearing a simple white silk kimono that she couldn't remember putting on.

Yuki's eyes slowly looked around the dark room, trying to find any characteristics that might have hinted at where she was. Unfortunately, there were no clues other than the bed she sat in and the fact that she was in a decent sized bedroom with at least one door at each of the walls excluding the one that the head of the bed was placed against; that wall she didn't even bother to examine. The doors and size of the room suggested that the rest of the structure was large as well since this surely wasn't the only room. "Finally," sounded a voice so cold that Yuki could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise, "You're awake."

Slowly Yuki turned her head to look at an uninspected corner nearby where no one else but a shirtless Naraku stood, leaning against one of the walls with his arms folded slackly in front of himself as he maliciously stared over at Yuki. "I was beginning to think that you were planning on sleeping forever just to avoid the inevitable," he grinned as he righted himself and began to approach the bed.

But instinctively, Yuki jumped out from beneath the covers so that the bed now separated Naraku and herself. "Stay away from me, Naraku," she warned him, putting on an angry front despite her fear of the situation.

"And what will you do if I don't?" he responded, cocking a defiant eyebrow, "Or in your most tempting case I should be saying 'if I can't'."

"I'll burn that smirk right off of your ugly face!" she bluffed in desperate attempt to keep up the façade, even though she knew perfectly well that the determined man wouldn't go for it.

Then suddenly, Naraku once again teleported out of sight. This time, Yuki had no warning of his new placement before she felt his arm wrap around her stomach, pulling her body closer to his as the other ran a hand down her side, caressing her curves and feeling down her leg. "Even if you had the experience to do that, I would have already been a step ahead of you," he countered her as he gradually began to turn her body with his so that she was facing a full body mirror that stood beside the bed.

With this mirror Yuki could see Naraku behind her as he began to bury his face in her hair, breathing in its scent. "The kimono that I have dressed you in was made specifically for Miyamota wives," he explained. And it was with these words that he grabbed her shoulders and whirled Yuki around to face him. "Look back in the mirror," he ordered her.

And so Yuki turned her head to glance over her shoulder to look at the reflection once again. And there on the back of her dress was a large character written in black ink. "That is a nullification spell," Naraku went on, his gaze fixed to the reflection of Yuki as she continued to gawk at the symbol, "It will prevent any sudden or lucky outbursts from you while you wear it. Of course…"

Yuki returned her gaze to look at Naraku, her eyes showing the fear of having her last hope dashed. "Of course... the kimono will eventually come off," Naraku went on, "But by that time, you will be far too panicked to even consider stopping me."

With that, Yuki gave a jerk to try and free herself from Naraku's clutches, but his grip on her was too strong. The demon then abruptly scooped Yuki up and into his arms and began carrying her over to the bed. "Naraku!" she screamed as she began to frantically struggle against him, "Don't do this! Put me down!"

"As you wish, my fiery beauty," Naraku replied as he tossed her onto the bed, immediately mounting her after her safe landing.

"You can just relax," he told her as he got on all fours to look down at her, "Yours isn't the first essence of innocence that I've taken."

Then he took one of Yuki's wrists into each his hands and pinned them down to the sheets on either side of her head. And then Naraku forced his lips onto Yuki's, thrusting his tongue through on contact. It only took a single moment of disgust from this action for Yuki to regain her anger, though. And with this newly revived fury, she quickly bit down on the foreigner, causing Naraku to withdraw it and pull away while giving a sharp cry of surprise and pain.

Red blood lined the split of his lips, but he quickly licked it away and swallowed it along with the rest that had come into his mouth. Then his mouth opened the slightest bit as he began to move his injured tongue around. But Yuki could just see that it was no longer bleeding. Nor was it even cut any longer. It was completely healed over already!

Finally, Naraku returned his attention down to Yuki, his glare just screaming the upcoming punishments. "You are going to regret that," he told her.

Then he reached to either side of them and grabbed two shackles that were chained to frame of the bed and then he deftly latched them onto her wrists. Having done that, Naraku returned his hands to support himself on either side of Yuki, gazing down at her persistent fighting form. She yanked and pulled at the bonds that held her, but no hope of escaping them was in sight so far. The maniacal man smirked at this before slipping a hand under the folds of Yuki's kimono, slowly running his cold icy fingers across the skin of her shoulder.

But as Naraku moved his hand along, the neck of the dress came with it, slowly revealing more and more until it had finally been slipped off of her shoulder completely. Then he did the same with the other side so that Yuki's natural collar and up was naked and vulnerable so that Naraku could freely see it. The twisted smirk returned to his lips as he gazed upon her untouched skin. "I see that the incompetent purebred has yet to claim you," he commented, running his hands back and forth across her warm, newly exposed skin, "Excellent. If he had this never would have turned out."

It was with that truth that Yuki was beginning to regret stopping Sesshomaru when she had. Maybe if she had let him mark her when he had tried, this wouldn't be happening. But it was too late. Now she had to figure out a plan to get out of this predicament.

Luckily Naraku didn't go directly to make his own mark either. First, he went to the small valley that was Yuki's cleavage and put his lips to its source as he began to hungrily kiss and lick at it while his hands snaked around Yuki's upper back, pulling her all the more closer to him. Yuki had to try with all of her will to ignore these actions so that she could sort through her options.

The main idea would have originally been to hurt him so that she could make her escape. To start out with, her first attempt would have been to try and set him on fire. That had already been eliminated from the list even before she had known what was going on. The second response would have been to find some other way to hurt him, like hitting him repeatedly. This also had failed, along with biting him. So what was left?

But it was as Naraku made his way to the joint of her shoulder that Yuki realized something that just might work. "Naraku, these nice little bracelets you've given me are really uncomfortable," she called, "If I'm going to be forced to endure this entire thing, can you at least spare me from getting rings around my wrists?"

Naraku then took his mouth away from Yuki's body and held himself above her form once again. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a very small key, supposedly going to the shackles that restrained Yuki's arms. "I will give you liberty from your chains," he smirked tauntingly at her before placing the key into his mouth and tucking it away into his cheek, "But you will have to get it from me first."

And so he once again lowered his lips onto Yuki's, longingly kissing her as he waited for her to begin her work. So hesitantly, Yuki put her tongue into his mouth and began searching for her freedom. Regrettably for Yuki though, Naraku wasn't yet ready to end this pleasure, so he continuously misdirected Yuki with his own mouth muscle, taunting and playing with her in her hunt.

But finally at long last and after much torture, she was able to get the key from him and quickly lower her head to her hand so that she could undo her cuffs. The end to their little game didn't bother Naraku though, nor did the fact that he had lost. He simply seemed content with going back to Yuki's neck and returning work there, hardly caring about the lost match. Being able to simply enjoy the experience had been all that he had cared about, and now that it was done and over with, it was time to go to the next activity.

Okay, phase one was complete. And the fact that Naraku was still holding himself away from Yuki with his hands on knees only made the job easier. Hitting him was out of the question. It would do no more damage than the bleeding mouth incident. So that left one option. Yuki rapidly brought up her knee to that one weak point that every male had, demon or not.

Luckily, this was just what Yuki needed to stop Naraku and cause him to fall over to the side, curled up and holding his injured area in shock and agony. After she was cleared, Yuki didn't even take a second thought to jump up and off of the bed so that she could rush out one of the doors and into an empty hallway.

Hastily she ran down it, not knowing where she was going but sure that she didn't care. Just as long as she could eventually end up outside and away from that molester she would be happy.

And she didn't know how she had managed to eventually escape the mess of hallways and rooms without being caught by the demon Naraku, but she had. She had somehow made it safely out of the lair and into the shelter of the trees.

On the negative side, she had no idea where she was. She was lost and alone in unfamiliar territory and it wasn't likely that Koga would be coming to her rescue this time. And even worse, it was still dark out.


	23. Chapter TwentyThree: Reunion

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Reunion**

The forest was filled with a peaceful quiet as the morning sun kissed its canopies, ending the fear of danger that resided in the night before. A new day had finally begun as the previous nightmare of Naraku's castle faded away as the night itself did. The sun's warm light peeked through the leaves of a great tree, falling upon the sleeping girl who laid among its branches.

Slowly she opened her eyes, her vision blurred from the night's sleep combined with the bright light that her pupils quickly adjusted to. Sadly, they adjusted to the surprise of her life. Two small, upside-down, red eyes were staring at her, causing Yuki to let out a shriek and roll over and out of the tree, only to land in the sturdy arms of a savior.

At first, Yuki would have sworn her gratefulness to the man who had caught her, but that was before she had looked up to recognize his familiar face. "You!" Yuki squealed as she wriggled out of Yoita's arms, "What are you doing here? Did Naraku send you? Don't answer that! Just get out of here!"

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," Yoita responded as he placed his hands on his hips and raised a sarcastic eyebrow while his white ferret leaped from the tree branches and onto his shoulder, staring over at Yuki with human expression, "That's a great way to treat the guy who watched over you all night and just saved you from a painful accident."

"It's also a great way to treat the guy who kidnapped me and handed me over to a horny demon!" Yuki retorted as she folded her arms in front of her chest and turned her back to the pair.

"That was just business," Yoita defended himself, taking a few steps closer to Yuki, "You shouldn't take it so personally."

"And why shouldn't I?!?!" Yuki fumed as she turned on him, the fire that her ensemble prevented from escaping her body collecting in her eyes.

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" Yoita exclaimed, throwing up his hands in defense and making a motion with them that told her to back up, "You're going to start a forest fire with that temper!"

Once again, Yuki folded her arms in front of her and then turned up her nose at the man in a pout. "Maybe I'll just do that then," she told him.

"Hey, you found her!" another familiar voice called. Yuki looked over to see the source only to discover that the group of friends that she hadn't seen in so long was walking towards her. "Inu Yasha?" Yuki asked, "Kagome? Guys… what are you doing here?"

"Well it's a long story," Shippo explained as he hopped up onto Yuki's shoulder, "You see, it all started when we had stopped to rest. I was in chestnut tree, picking chestnuts when I accidentally dropped one. So, I went to go get it only to find that it had fallen and hit Chame on the head."

"Chame?" Yuki questioned, not recognizing the name.

"Yeah, Chame," Shippo repeated, "Yoita's ferret."

"Oh…" Yuki nodded in understanding.

"Anyway," Shippo continued, "The chestnut hit Chame here in the head, and he wasn't too happy about it. So, when I went to go get it, he went completely ravage! I could see the foam coming out of his mouth as he bared his sharp yellow fangs-"

"Hey! His fangs are not yellow," Yoita corrected as the Chame slipped into his arms so that he could be cradled like a baby, "Nor have I ever seen him foam at the mouth."

"I still think that he looks like something that would kill me in my sleep!" Shippo pointed out.

"Oh," the young man responded as he fondly scratched the small mammal's belly, "He probably wouldn't wait until you were asleep."

"YUKI!" Shippo cried as he clung onto the fabric of Yuki's kimono.

"It's alright, Shippo," Yuki assured the young kitsune as she picked him up off of her shoulder so that she could hold him in her arms, "Yoita is just trying to scare you. But go on with your story."

"Well… then it started barking or… screaming or… what do you call it, Yoita?"

"I just call it chuckling."

"Yeah! He was chuckling… except it sounded _really_ weird. But anyway, then Yoita came along and started yelling at me for frightening Chame."

"Yeah, sorry about that, Shippo. I didn't know that it had been the other way around."

"I wasn't frightened! I was surprised!"

"Whatever."

"ANYWAY! Then the others came to investigate and Kagome here noticed the Shikon Jewel shard embedded in his forehead."

Hearing this, Yuki turned her attention to Yoita, who wasn't even paying attention anymore as he played with Chame. She had noticed the jewel fragment before in their previous encounter, but she had had no idea that it was of the Shikon Jewel.

"So then Inu Yasha started his big tough-guy talk and Yoita eventually mentioned a 'Miyamota girl' somewhere in the conversation," Shippo continued, "And knowing that that was your surname, Kagome dug further details out of Yoita until we all had a little discussion and convinced him to help us find you."

"Really? What convinced him to do it?" Yuki wondered, drawing from his character so far that he wasn't one to do favors.

"The monk threatened my immortal soul with eternal damnation if I didn't," Yoita explained, now lying in a tree as he held Chame above him, "And the mutt said that he would do everything in his power to assure that I would face it sooner rather than later, even though I know that I could take him any day."

"Yeah right," Inu Yasha scoffed, "We only asked for your help because I couldn't sniff her out. And no wonder; you smell different, Yuki. I guess it's because you've picked up Naraku's scent after hanging out at his castle."

"But you guys said those things? That is so unlike you two…" Yuki commented as she stared at the men, trying to steer the subject away from the fact that Naraku's scent had rubbed off on her, "That was so nice of you guys!"

With that, she ran over to them and threw one arm around each of their necks as she gave them a grateful hug, surprising them both. "You guys are the best!"

Of course, Inu Yasha skillfully dodged out of it, not wanting any thanks and especially not wanting to receive it via a hug. But unlike him, Miroku returned the embrace, a cheerful expression on his face. "It was nothing," he told Yuki, "It was the least we could do for a friend."

"Umm… Yuki…" Kagome called to her friend.

"Yeah?" Yuki asked without leaving the embrace. But it was only a moment later though that she had regretted ever throwing a single arm around Miroku in the first place because she then felt a hand begin to grope her. So instantly she pulled away and sent a hand flying across the monk's face before storming away, cursing his perverted existence under her breath.

"Yuki!" Kagome called once more going over to her friend.

"Yes, Kagome?" Yuki questioned, raising her eyebrows in concern, "What is it?"

"Um… you forgive me… right?" she asked, as she nervously played with her fingers, "You know, for handing you over to Sesshomaru."

"Are you still worrying about that?" Yuki questioned, her surprise written all over her face.

"Well yeah. I mean I was planning on a rescue mission and all, but once he threw in me not doing that into the deal I've been regretting it."

"Maybe I should tell you what's been going on with me and Sesshomaru…"

-------------------------------------------------

It didn't take long to tell the story of the events that had occurred since they had last parted and it took even less time than that since Yuki had decided to leave out a few choice details. "… And so I ran away from Naraku, slept in a tree, and to top off that nightmare I received a wake up call from Chame here."

The ferret perked up its head at hearing his name said, having had lost interest in the story until just then. However, surprisingly enough, Yoita himself had been listening the entire time and now stood with his arms crossed in deep in thought. "I could escort you back to Sesshomaru's palace if you want," he offered.

"No way!" Inu Yasha argued, "You're probably just going to take her straight back to Naraku."

Yoita rolled his eyes at the half demon and turned to face him, countering, "That was a one time deal. I'm loyal to no one but myself." Then came the angry 'chuckle' of Chame as he protested that last comment. "And you too Chame. I apologize about that."

"But what's in it for you if you take Yuki back?" Inu Yasha argued, not even bothering to hide his suspicions of the man.

"Nothing," he answered, "But I was thinking about heading over there anyways. There are a few things I have to take care of. You know, some unfinished business."

With the tone that Yoita had explained the last part with, Yuki wasn't sure that she wanted him to come with her. That tone had been so cold and distant… not like the young-spirited man at all. Something bad was going to happen. She could feel it. "Fine then," Inu Yasha nodded, "But we're going to be checking up on you later, okay Yuki?"

"Okay," she nodded as Yoita began to make his way into the forest, Chame following not too far behind, "It was nice seeing you all again!"

With that, she went after Yoita, following him into the trees and second guessing whether it was wise to trust him like this at all.


	24. Chapter TwentyFour: You Are In Danger

**Chapter Twenty-Four: "You are in danger."**

"Yoita," Yuki called to the man that lead the way through the forest, "Would you think it rude of me to ask you a few questions?"

"Uh… sure. Go ahead," he replied as he glanced back at her, "But why would you want to?"

"I just want to know more about the guy that I'm trusting my life with is all," she answered while she quickened her footsteps so that she could walk side by side with Yoita, "First of all… what are you exactly?"

This vague and strange inquiry seemed to confuse Yoita, disabling him from even answering it. "What… am I?" he countered, "What do you mean?"

"I mean… are you a human or a demon or what?" Yuki enlightened him, "I can't tell since you look human enough to me, but I also see that you act and carry yourself like a demon."

"I do? That's weird. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm 100 percent human."

"Then why did Naraku hire a human to do his dirty work?"

Yoita only shrugged though, not quite sure of the answer and apparently not caring about it either. "Maybe his other minions were busy?" suggested the escort, "I don't know. I guess he wanted to get some use out of me."

"I thought you said that you weren't employed by him," Yuki pointed out, suspicion creeping into her voice.

"No, I said that I wasn't loyal to him," Yoita corrected, "I never said that I wasn't employed by him."

"What?" Yuki exclaimed as she stopped in her tracks, her surprise apparent on her face. So she had been walking around with a disciple of Naraku this entire time? And to think that she had actually considered trusting him! "Yeah," Yoita confirmed, "I made a deal with him and became a lackey, so to speak. But it's strange…"

Suddenly, he grew very serious again as he stopped walking and turned to Yuki, his eyes narrowed with significance and told her how important the upcoming message was. This new expression made him seem his age for once instead of his usual attitude of acting like a careless teenager."… he doesn't call on me very often," he told her, "So if he's finally putting me to use after all this time, it means that he's found a specific purpose for me. He's planning something, Yuki, and it cannot be good."

"Do you have any idea what it could be?" Yuki interrogated, her voice softening once again with concern.

Sadly for her though, Yoita shook his head in denial. "I don't," he admitted, "He seldom explains his intentions to anyone and especially wouldn't do so with someone like me."

"What's that supposed to mean? 'Someone like you'?"

"Do you know why I think that he doesn't give me orders often?" Yoita asked, his face becoming distant, yet dignified, "Because I'm not one of his reincarnations. Technically, I don't belong to him so it would be very easy for me to betray him. Of course, that would probably drive him to eliminate the contract we have…"

It was the fact that as he had said this Yoita had subconsciously began to scratch at his forehead where the Shikon Jewel shard was placed that had sparked Yuki's curiosity. For in the short time that she had known him, the man had always done that very thing when he was unsure or nervous about something, so doing it at the mention of his and Naraku's agreement struck Yuki as important. "Yoita…" Yuki began, "What exactly was your deal with Naraku?"

But Yoita simply straightened and raised his eyebrows in awareness before shaking his head solemnly. "Another story for another day," he dodged as he turned back around to continue on the journey, "Right now we just need to worry about getting you back to Sesshomaru."

"Yoita!" Yuki pleaded as she ran to catch up with him, but she was only answered with the same reply: "Another day."

So, she decided that she wouldn't press any further, but in dodging the question so urgently Yoita had lost any speck of Yuki's trust that he had collected.

------------------------------------------------------------

Upon Yuki's arrival, the castle suddenly came to unexpected life as everyone began rushing about, spreading the news of her return with a stranger. In fact, the information spread so quickly that it was only a matter of minutes before several rumors had been started about where she had gone away to.

But the only news that could never disperse quicker in the palace than a scandal was the fact that a strange man had appeared, uninvited, unidentified, and unfamiliar as he and Yuki passed by people without a word, going at a steadfast pace to their destination.

Ironically, this entire hubbub had only begun with a simple question. "Excuse me," Yoita had said to the first servant girl that he had seen, "Do you know where I can find Lord Sesshomaru?"

At first, the girl was absolutely shocked to see this newcomer inside of the castle walls, but by the way that she stared at Yoita, she was pleasantly surprised. "He's in the gardens," she replied to him in a voice of awe before catching a glimpse of Yuki, causing her daze to disappear and her eyes to widen. And without so much as a word of thanks, Yoita walked off with Yuki at his side. "You know where the gardens are?" he inquired out of the corner of his mouth.

"Of course," Yuki answered him as she inconspicuously guided him on their way. But somehow, Yoita seemed to act completely oblivious as girls whispered behind their hands with interest as he passed proudly by. _'I wonder what sort of stories they're making up __**now**_,' she thought to herself, rolling her eyes at the gossiping girls.

And so they finally came to the gardens. However, Sesshomaru was nowhere in sight of the main area. "Well, if it isn't Little Hotaru," the voice of Gaitsuko sounded, causing both of the humans to turn and face her, "You shouldn't have come back."

"And why is that?" Yuki questioned, wondering what could have possibly happened over a night's absence that could have effected whether she should be present inside of the palace or not.

Then, Gaitsuko simply began to examine her nails in that indifferent fashion of hers. "It's a long story," she briefed, "But let's just say that it has to do with your family prophecy and the stunt that you pulled with basically setting Lord Sesshomaru on fire."

"Hey, he deserved that!" Yuki objected, but shook off the incense instantly, "Where is Lord Sesshomaru, anyways?"

"He went off into the maze not too long ago," Gaitsuko answered with a jerk of her head, "Good luck finding him."

Then slowly Gaitsuko went to go passed them, making eye contact with Yoita for a split second before going on her way. "I know that it might be a little early to start forming opinions about people... but I don't like that woman," Yoita commented as he watched her go and followed Yuki at the same time.

"It's okay," Yuki told him as she entered the hedge maze, "I don't care for her either."

Somehow, Yuki was able to navigate through the labyrinth with hardly any problems. It was coming so easily to her that it was almost frightening. But it was still a lucky thing that Yuki was able to guide herself and Yoita to that small fountain that she had come to so long ago and where Sesshomaru once again sat. "Lord… Sesshomaru?" Yuki said shyly, alerting the demon of her presence.

His attention snapped directly to no one else but Yuki, ignorant that another form even stood nearby. "Yuki," came the whisper of her name as he jumped up and quickly went to her, wrapping his arms around her as if he would never let go, "I thought that I would never see you again!"

But to the demon lord's surprise, Yuki pulled away from him and began to wag a finger in his face as she began to give him a scolding, "Don't you pull that on me! You have some explaining to do!"

Sesshomaru still didn't know how to react to this behavior and could only look at Yuki with shock. What had he done? "If this is about our little… incident, you should know that it was completely out of my control!" he defended, beginning to regain some of his composure, slowly yet surely.

"Not about that," Yuki told him, looking away from him as she began to calm down. But at hearing that he had done something else wrong, Sesshomaru became very surprised since he had no idea what it had been. "You… didn't come looking for me when I disappeared," Yuki explained, "I barely escaped Naraku last night…"

"Speaking of Naraku, why are you covered in his scent?" Sesshomaru demanded, a questioning eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I guess some of it must have caught onto my clothes while I was there," she lied, taking the false assumption that Inu Yasha had made earlier that day, "After all, I did stay the night."

"You should know better than to lie to me, Yuki," Sesshomaru responded, not buying the explanation, "I know that one simply can't 'pick up' a scent. Like any perfume, an unnatural fragrance has to be applied."

It actually took a moment for Sesshomaru to see the context of what he himself had just said. But once he had, it was simple enough for him to show that he knew what had happened by they way that his face dropped. "Yuki… he didn't-"

"Could we talk about this at another time?" she interrupted him while pointing towards Yoita, who had been standing quietly a few feet away as he had watched the previous conversation form.

This had been the first time that Sesshomaru had even paid any mind to the man so that his first words were, "Who is he?"

"This is Yoita. He escorted me back here once I was able to escape Naraku."

"I see," was all Sesshomaru commented on as he scrutinized the stranger, looking him up and down.

So, Yoita took this opportunity of silence to finally come out and say something. "Lord Sesshomaru, I think that you might be in danger," he gravely proclaimed.

And though this new knowledge took Yuki by surprise, Sesshomaru only rubbed his temples and took a seat on the edge of the stone fountain. "You, and the rest of the world," he replied.

"Sesshomaru," Yuki addressed, temporarily forgetting to add his title to the speech, "What's going on?"

"Yesterday, after discovering that you possessed the fire abilities of the Miyamota Clan, the Council has forbidden me to be with you because they think that it will bring on the death of me."


	25. Chptr25:The Divinities and the Disasters

**Chapter Twenty-Five: The Divinities and the Disasters**

"What?" Yuki questioned, "But how could it be possible that just being with me might cause your death?"

"Fate," Sesshomaru answered as his golden eyes stared deeply into the water of the pool, "The Miyamotas have the curse of fate and karma tied to their name more heavily than anyone else the world has ever known."

"How so?" Yuki questioned as she went to go sit beside Sesshomaru.

"Reincarnation," Yoita answered for him as he folded his arms in front of his chest and stared at the couple, "There can only be two living clan members with the same element at one time. The first being an old, near-death teacher who lives in the temple of their ability while the next one is usually a younger person who roams the world freely until they are called to take the older one's place in the temple. But you see, reincarnation comes in when one Miyamota dies, the next to be born inherits their ability so that the entire family can be in check. You see, I say 'in check' because the Miyamota Clan works in pairs of opposites, very similar to Yin-Yang."

"Does everyone know this much about the Miyamotas?" Yuki questioned as she threw a glance over to Sesshomaru.

He shook his head in reply, almost as surprised and confused as Yuki was about Yoita's knowledge of the family. "But instead of Yin-Yang, the Miyamotas have their own system, commonly known as the Laws of Divinity and Disaster," the expert went on, not even phased by the listener's comments, "It is based upon what element a family member possesses. Those under the listing of Divinity are elements such as Wind, Light, Earth, Health, and Ice while those under the category of Disaster are listed as controllers of Poison, Darkness, Water, Death, and of course Fire."

"So I'm a Disaster?" Yuki cried as she slouched a bit in her seat as she felt suddenly depressed by the fact.

"The Disasters were never married to demons because they were considered ill fit for anyone to marry because usually, a Miyamota's element reflected their disposition," Yoita continued, "So, if a person's element meant disaster, it could only be assumed that the person themselves was a disaster. For example, someone of Poison could have no manners towards others by speaking 'words of poison'. Darkness could be very secretive while at the same time knowing more than they should. And the power of Death basically speaks for the person's personality."

"So that's why the nobles don't want me to be with Sesshomaru," Yuki concluded, "Because I am Fire and therefore Disaster."

Yoita gave a slight nod in confirmation to the assumption, and even broadened on it, "Fire is believed to be selfish, temperamental, and destructive…. And the fact that the Fire wielder before you assassinated any woman who pestered him with claims of love doesn't exactly help your case. But are there any more questions beside that?"

"Yes, actually," Yuki replied to him, "How can there be a reincarnation cycle of elements when there are two of the same element living at the same time? In order for reincarnation to work, the spirit must be inherited… so how can a newborn do such a thing when the Miyamota before him is still alive?"

This question completely stumped Yoita, his cluelessness obvious by the way that he scratched at the sacred jewel shard that was embedded on his forehead. "I don't know that," he finally answered, "I didn't think to ask that of the scholar that I learned all of this from."

"A scholar, huh?" Yuki repeated as the reason that Yoita had acquired so much knowledge became clear: he had listened to a quick tutorial of the information that somebody else had gathered.

"Any other questions?" he requested again.

"Yes, I have one," Sesshomaru replied, "Tell me again… why are you here?"

"Oh!" Yoita said as his eyes lit up with the recollection of why he had traveled there in the first place, "I have good reason to believe that your life has yet another reason to be in danger, Lord Sesshomaru… but I think that it would be best if Yuki wasn't here to hear this."

They were going to exclude her… again? How much more would she have to endure before she would be just as informed as everyone else in the castle? But even with these hassles, Yuki forced herself to nod and to not object. Then slowly she rose from her spot on the fountain and left the two alone to talk.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Lady Yuki!" Rin called as she spotted her nanny coming out of the maze, "It seems like forever since I saw you last! I missed you so much!"

Upon reaching Yuki, the small girl threw her arms around her in a welcoming hug. "I missed you too, Rin," Yuki chuckled at Rin's childish behavior, "How have you been?"

"Okay," Rin replied as she let go of the older girl, "It wasn't quite the same without you, but I can understand the reason why you were gone. You were just worried enough about Lord Sesshomaru to be by his side at all times, weren't you?"

After giving a small nod of confirmation, Yuki couldn't help but glance backwards towards the entrance of the maze that she had just come out of, wondering what Yoita could be discussing with Sesshomaru. After all, earlier that day he _had_ told her that he was coming to settle unfinished business and that sort of reason was never good. "Come play with me, Lady Yuki!" Rin urged as she pulled on Yuki's sleeve.

And so, being the submissive, caring nanny that she was, Yuki obeyed and went to go play with Rin. But as she shared in a fun game with Rin, Gaistuko and a man passed by, discussing something in hushed tones. However, it was the comment that Gaistuko whispered behind her fan that Yuki was able to make out, "You see? The human is covered in another demon's scent! Already the betrayal of her element is peeking through!"

Hearing this, Yuki had to freeze and turn to look at the two demons as they passed on by. How dare she assume such horrid things? The lightning demon had absolutely no right! No right at all! But she couldn't say anything to confront her. For if Yuki did go after Gaistuko to argue her innocence, not only would the superiors know that she had been eavesdropping, but she also would be proving the fury of her element to be true, which was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment.

Thankfully it was at that moment that Yuki's trusty friend, Mimi, came to see her. "I'm so sorry!" was the first thing that she said to Yuki upon reaching her as she dipped into many respectful bows, "It's all my fault! It's all my fault!"

"Calm down Mimi," Yuki comforted her friend as she placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her apologetic bows, "It wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done to prevent my capture."

"I know," Mimi replied, her voice still regretful and frantic, "It's what I did after that… or rather what I _didn't_ do. I didn't report to Sesshomaru telling him why you were gone. I was sort of scared that he would get angry and take it out on me. He's been known to do that to some of the servants. Anyway, once Sesshomaru learned that you were gone, he assumed that you had run away and gone home because of the stunt that he unintentionally pulled. So the reason that he didn't come and rescue you was completely my fault!"

At first, Yuki could only blink a couple of times as she stared at Mimi, who was only now catching her breath after having tried to get that entire explanation in one rushed jumble. What Yuki wanted to calmly tell her was that she had made a horrible mistake in not telling Sesshomaru. Her silence had almost cost Yuki one of her prized possessions! The only motivation that she had for not scolding Mimi was the pleading in her eyes. Mimi knew that she had done wrong. She would not do it again. "I forgive you," Yuki told her at last.

It was just then Sesshomaru and Yoita came into the garden and began to approach the two. It was Yuki's immediate attention towards them that made Mimi turn to look who was coming, but her reaction was far from expected. "Yoita!" she gasped his name as she saw him.

"Mimi!" he returned in a state of awe.

But the two almost instantly left the moments of shock behind them as they hurried to one another and wrapped their arms around each other before connecting their lips in a kiss. Honestly, Yuki didn't know what to say. But what else was there to say to a girl who was newly reunited with someone than, "You know him?"

"Know him?" Mimi repeated after pulling away from him to face Yuki, "He was… IS my fiancé!"

"Fiancé?" both Yuki and Sesshomaru repeated in unison.

"What?" Yoita questioned as he wrapped an arm around Mimi's waist, "You find that hard to believe?"

"It's just unexpected," Yuki replied as Sesshomaru simultaneously answered, "Yes, it is."

"Well, we are," Mimi beamed as she turned to him, but then suddenly dropped her grin as she gave a light yet rash hit to his arm. "Where have you been all these years?" she interrogated him, "You let me believe that you were dead!"

"I'm sorry, honey!" he defended, "Some things came up."

But just as the couple's argument was becoming heated, Sesshomaru wrapped an arm around Yuki's shoulder and began to lead her away from them so that they could be alone. For a few minutes, they strolled the gardens in silence, trying to recover from that unexpected surprise. "I have news," Sesshomaru finally came out, "We will be leaving to travel to Lord Raikou's palace come tomorrow. It's time that I rejoined the Council there. Hopefully we will also be able to solve even our dilemma while we are there."

"Lord Raikou…" Yuki mimicked, as she processed the name, "Isn't he Gaistuko's father?"

"Yes, he is," Sesshomaru replied, "And Gaistuko will be returning along with us and a few others."

_'Great,'_ Yuki thought_, 'Crossing over into Gaistuko's territory is going to be just great. I guess it's time for Round 2.'_


	26. Chapter TwentySix: Another Miyamota

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Another Miyamota**

The rattling of the carriage sounded in rhythmic sink sync with the beats of the horses' hooves as they traveled along the dirt road. None of the six passengers had said anything to one another for the past hour or so and the silence suited most of them just fine. However, Yuki was not among those that were comfortable with the situation though. In fact, she was the only one who felt a bit out of place.

She was a servant among betters and it felt unnatural to her that she was riding in a carriage alongside them. Even worse were the looks they sometimes tried to sneak towards her. There were only two people she knew inside of that carriage, and both were sitting on either side of her, looking out their windows and seeming not to notice anyone else, especially not Yuki or the gestures the others across from her were showing her.

The usual glance of the other three nobles had a hint of a sneer in it, as if Yuki was a filthy animal that needed to be disposed of. These unwelcome glances especially came from the two women sitting across from Yuki who knew exactly why she was tagging along at all and obviously, they didn't like it. It was in their silence that anyone could tell their disapproval for Sesshomaru's new "pet", but they of course said nothing about it and only pretended to endure the slave's presence.

It was the worst feeling! To her right was one of the last people that she wanted to sit next to at the moment: Gaitsuko. Even though all she did was look out the window, sneaking glances over to her fellow kith and sending her friends vague thoughts and messages with said expressions, Yuki could just tell that everyone's opinion of her was dropping by the moment. But far worse than sitting next to her enemy in a carriage full of skeptical nobles was sitting next to her 'secret' lover while sitting in a carriage full of skeptical nobles.

To Yuki's left was Sesshomaru: the man that had attempted to have his way with her… and of course the rest of the cramped cart knew it, even though everyone had silently agreed to pretend that it had never happened. But she could feel their thoughts of offense as she sometimes caught them looking at her from under their eyelids. And if it wasn't the event of Sesshomaru's bedroom that they were thinking of, it would certainly have been the bedroom event of 'another demon's' as they had come to refer to Naraku by, being since they had not specifically identified him yet.

It hadn't taken long for these whispers of this demon to convince Yuki to forget any idea of waiting another moment before going to the hot springs to bathe before leaving for the trek. Finally, she was rid of that rapist's scent, and yet she still felt so dirty. No matter how hard she would try to banish them away, the words of judgment stuck to Yuki's skin just as any filth would. She knew that no matter how hard she could ever try and scrub it away, that unclean and worthless feeling would continue to cling to her. She would probably never get rid of it now.

"Ah," said the only other male in the passenger's hold besides Sesshomaru, "We've arrived."

Hearing this, Yuki had to fight herself into not leaning over to look out of the window. If it was one thing that she had learned while occupying the presence of her betters it was to always watch her reactions. If she had bent to investigate what lay outside, she would have looked eager and childish. If Yuki was going to improve everyone's perspective of her, she would have to always keep a composed disposition.

The horses drew their burden onto a driveway and straight to the front entrance, which awaited the newcomers with doors open wide in welcome. The driver quickly dismounted from his seat and went to open the door for his passengers, but only after pulling out the step for them to use to get out. The other nobles were the first to get out, followed by Sesshomaru, Yuki, and finally Gaitsuko.

At first, Yuki's first impression was awe. But even though this place was by far grander in size than Sesshomaru's palace, it lacked in all of the beauty that the other domain held. Instead of breathtaking influence, the red, high walls of the castle of Lord Raikou gave off a much more official and structured impression. It was hard to believe that anyone could call this building a home. It seemed more like a fortress, really. But somehow, Gaitsuko managed. "Here we are!" she smiled, "It feels good to be back!"

Then slowly she took the first few steps towards the door, shortly followed by the others, leaving the driver and other servants to unload the second wagon of luggage. And as she was lead through the large, almost empty halls of this strange place, Yuki couldn't help but marvel at the contents. Chinese tapestries adorned the walls. Japanese dragons patterned the ceiling. The floors were marble, the candle and torch holders that aligned the walls were gold. It was obviously a very rich place. This Lord Raikou must have been even richer.

But finally Gaitsuko lead the group to none other than the throne room so that their presence could be known. Everyone bowed upon arrival and arose with the lord's permission. This was when Yuki took her chance to look around this room as she stood unnoticed behind the rest of the pack. "Gaitsuko!" Raikou called, arising from his platform to come down the isle to greet his daughter, "I was wondering how long you were going to stay behind!"

"It has only been a few days father," she replied, gentle modesty in her voice.

Yuki could not see father or daughter, so the only hint to what was going on was the tone in their voices. "It seems so much longer than that though," the cheery voice of her father replied.

Then, to the left a set of large doors slowly opened, the hinges letting out a large groaning sound. And entering the room now was a nicely dressed and armored youth well into his twenties. His raven black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, suggesting along with his attire that he had just finished a physical activity. But upon spotting the new guests, he stopped, his eyes instantly going to Gaitsuko. He then began walking towards them.

"It's been a while," the newcomer commented as he and Gaitsuko started off into conversation, he using laconic phrases much like the first. However, Yuki didn't have a chance to catch all of it as she leaned towards Sesshomaru and whispering the question, "Who is he?"

"Master Kazuhiko," Sesshomaru explained, "He is Lord Raikou's heir and Gaitsuko's half brother."

But as Yuki examined Kazuhiko's face more carefully, she also noticed something strange about his eyes. They stared with mature and emotionless comprehension of what others told him. His eyes were aged with wisdom and experience far beyond his years. But what shocked Yuki the most was the color of those orbs: a dark shade of Miyamota lavender. "Oh," Gaitsuko let out as she spotted Yuki hiding behind the gang of nobles, "Kazuhiko… I have a surprise for you; a relative."

With that, the demoness went to Yuki, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the open where everyone could see her and where she could see everyone in return. The important nobles sat about ten feet away at a panel with a few empty seats. Raikou's seat on the platform among that panel was also empty, of course, as was the seat to his right and the spot next to that. The cushion two places down to his left was also empty, even thought the place directly next to his left was occupied by a woman, supposedly his wife.

"Ah… is this the young lady that we've been hearing about?" Raikou asked as he looked Yuki up and down, instantly identifying her as a human.

"She is, Father," Gaitsuko nodded, "But we'll get to those matters another time. Right now I want to introduce them to each other. Yuki, this is my brother, Kazuhiko. Kazuhiko, this is Yuki. I believe that she is the Fire of your generation."

Then, just when Yuki thought that the demon could never show any hint of emotion, she was proven wrong. She didn't know how, but she suddenly knew that Kazuhiko was frowning at her. This proved that he was very skilled at showing emotions because his actual countenance didn't appear to change in the least bit. Perhaps the sudden silence of the room that made her feel uneasy and caused her to just imagine this, but she finally decided to ask about it. "Excuse me," she began, "But is that a problem?"

"The fact that you are Disaster is bad enough," Kazuhiko replied, forming the longest reply that Yuki had heard out of him yet, "But the fact that you are Fire while I am Ice… well, it is not usually a good thing to have two opposites in the same place or there very well might be confrontation. Divinity and Disaster just cannot mix."

"But that aside," Raikou interrupted, "I believe we have other matters to attend to. Gaitsuko, if you would show our guests to their rooms… I'm sure that they are very eager to get settled. And Kazuhiko… go with them."

"Yes, my lord," Kazuhiko replied with a bow right before he left with the party.

But right before they exited the room, Yuki was able to cast a glance back at the royals on the panel. The woman to Raikou's left, his wife, surprisingly did not have purple eyes like she and Kazuhiko had. She was not Miyamota. Then why was Kazuhiko heir instead of her own son?

Yuki pondered this problem momentarily before banishing it from her mind. It was not any of her business, after all. And she put the thought away just in time too, because only seconds later, Kazuhiko came up beside her, gazing freely down at her as he meditatively examined her appearance.

But the way he did it showed not only interest, but curiosity and somehow, it did not bother Yuki as she looked to stare at him in return, only keeping half a mind on where she was going. "Try and stay out of my way," he finally told her as he returned his focus towards his front.

"Excuse me?" she questioned, hiding her offense.

"I told you to stay out of my way," he repeated simply, "Don't think that for one instant that because you are somehow my relative that gives you the right to even so much as acknowledge me in any way."

"That's really rude," Yuki told him as she turned up her nose at him.

"I just don't want this to get messy," he replied, sending a glance over towards her.

"Then why didn't you say that in the first place?"

"Because I really do want you to stay out of my way," Kazuhiko replied frankly, "I just want to be able to keep the peace at the same time."

Finally, they had come to Yuki's room and she was absolutely fuming at his bluntness with her. "I really don't think that that's going to happen," Yuki told him as she entered her room and nearly slammed the door behind her.


	27. Chapter TwentySeven: Settling In

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Settling In**

Finally Yuki had settled down in her guest room. The new kimonos that Sesshomaru had bestowed upon her were already put away in the small bureau and she was now looking about her chamber. It was painted a golden orange with a rich complimentary yellow furnishings. However, it made Yuki feel as if she was surrounded by the fiery pits of Hell, which upon entering that palace she surely had entered. After all, she hadn't been here five minutes and already she had gained a new enemy… and he was from her own family no less!

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, requesting entrance. Yuki quickly went to answer the door so that she might see who was calling upon her, hoping that it wasn't one of her hosts since she did not want to see either of them. And for once, her prayers were answered because it was no one else but Sesshomaru at her door. But it was without so much as a word of greeting or explanation of his coming before he leaned down and planted his lips firmly over Yuki's, urging her back into the room and closing the door behind them.

Because of this surprise, Yuki's first instinct was to pull away from Sesshomaru, stare him directly in the eye and ask, "What are you doing?"

Then, lovingly Sesshomaru raised a hand to wipe away that wisp of hair that had once again fallen into Yuki's face. "I apologize," he told her innocently, "But it had seemed so long since I had kissed you last. I simply couldn't stand it any longer. And now that the others are watching our every move and the upcoming trial is threatening our relationship…"

"Trial?" Yuki intruded, "There's going to be a trial involving us? Why? What for?"

"Well, the Council believes that our being together should not be allowed," Sesshomaru began to explain as he wrapped his arms around her form, "Especially since you are a Disaster. So, they have called a trial to debate on whether they should allow us to continue, regardless of your state."

"And when will it be?" she interrogated, looking up at him with an expecting expression dominating her face.

"In three days," Sesshomaru replied, "So try endure Kazuhiko and Gaitsuko until then, hm? I know that you are not on the best terms with either of them right now."

"Okay," Yuki smiled with a confirming nod of her head, "I'll try."

Then there was another knock on the door, causing Yuki to jump straight out of Sesshomaru's arms at the threat of being caught. Luckily though, the person didn't automatically open the door after knocking, leaving Yuki to go and answer it. And so she went to open the door, sliding it open to find Gaitsuko on the other side. "Oh, Yuki!" she said in that false cheerful voice of hers, "I was hoping that you were in. I was just stopping by to see if you would like a tour of the castle."

And with that, every single word that came out of Gaitsuko's lips sent off a different message than they sounded, because to Yuki, what she had really said was_, 'I knew you would be here because I assumed that you wouldn't want to leave your room. Can I show you all of the wonderful things that I have that you don't and will never have?'_

Sesshomaru then stepped up to stand behind Yuki as she nodded her reply. Who knew? Actually knowing her way around this new territory might prove to come in handy.

"Great," Gaitsuko smiled, "And Lord Sesshomaru, would you like to come along as well?"

This one had a double translation for Yuki though. One being: _'Great! Now I can show you how much better I am than your little hotaru here.'_

The other was a little different though. '_Yuki has only been here for a few minutes and already he's come into her bedroom? She's more of a tramp than I give her credit for.'_

Sesshomaru simply shook his head and replied, "Maybe another time."

And in Yuki's mind, this comment translated to, _'I really don't want to see your home because I don't really care.'_

Gaitsuko took no mind to it though and nodded in understanding. "Alright then," she addressed Yuki, "Let's go."

_'No use sticking around here any longer if Lord Sesshomaru is leaving. Let's just get this over with so you can start envying me.'_

They began by going to the lounge where many people sat reading or chatting with others. It seemed to be a very social area. However, the gardens, though very beautiful and exotic, had very few people in them. There was only the occasional stroller, out to get some exorcise. Very few people, especially the women, came out into the gardens. The men were often too busy with official affairs while the women were only concerned with their pale complexions. After all, the spring was quickly easing into summer as the days became hotter and the sun less forgiving, giving all the more reason to remain out of its light.

"And here is the library," Gaitsuko announced as they entered one of the biggest rooms Yuki had seen yet in the castle, filled with more books than she had ever beheld in her life! "Our library is one of the largest in all of Japan with many rare books that have not yet been duplicated."

The bragging was already prominent in her speech that a translation need not have been used. "And that concludes the tour!" Gaitsuko announced a few stops later, "Unless you want to see the throne room, which I highly doubt that you do."

"No," Yuki protested, "I would like to see it very much."

"You would?" she asked, an eyebrow raised in question. But she simply shrugged it off and turned, calling back to Yuki, "This way then."

And so they quietly slipped into the throne room where the top officials and the royal family sat. In his place of honor was Raikou. This was the first time that Yuki had actually been able to get a good look at him. His neat hair was a shocking white and his eyes and electrifying yellow. Gaitsuko had similar eyes to him, except hers were smoother and not as intense. Also, she didn't have his hair. Instead, she had a dark lackluster black hair color that she had inherited from her mother, who sat with her mane flowing about her as she sat at her husband's side. She had also passed on the cloudy and smooth appearance of her eyes, though hers were jade green instead of yellow, like her daughter's.

All cushions were now occupied, excepting the one where Gaitsuko should have been. The two newly filled spots to Raikou's right were now occupied. The closest one to him was of course his heir, Kazuhiko, who had let his long black hair down so that its volume fell behind his shoulders. He had also removed his armor so that now he looked much more sophisticated than before.

The new arrival next in line to him, however, seemed to prefer to wear his light armor. Shoulder plates adorned him along with guards on his hands and forearms. No more protection seemed to be worn though. But beneath this high quality protective covering, his black uniform still boasted his wealth and rank, decorated by red clouds that swirled around his body.

But Yuki hardly lingered on his garments as her gaze slipped to his countenance. His black, long, and unruly hair gave him an untamed appearance, regardless of his fine dressings. This wild disposition was only added to by the two scars that adorned his face. Both scars were symmetrical as they began just above the eyebrow, going down across the eye, and then finally ending at his tanned cheek.

It was as Yuki was staring at those marks that she noticed the inimitable eyes that he harbored. They were the most beautiful combination of red and purple that she had ever seen. They reminded her of a poisonous rose, both beautiful and deadly.

"Gaitsuko," Yuki whispered as the regular matters continued, "Who is that man?"

"That is my half brother, Ichiro," Gaitsuko explained, "He is Father's eldest son."

"His eldest?" Yuki questioned, "I thought Kazuhiko was the oldest."

"No," Gaitsuko corrected, "Kazuhiko is simply the heir."

"And why isn't Ichiro the heir?"

"Do you mean besides the fact that he is a Disaster, like you? Well, there is the fact that he is a hanyou; a half demon."

This statement surprised Yuki. Why would either of those reasons even matter when it came to inheriting the throne? Then Yuki was snapped out of her thoughts just in time to see Ichiro notice her and Gaitsuko among the audience. Upon seeing his sister, he smiled over at her and the hints of red abruptly disappeared and seemed to shrink back into the pupil that it surrounded, leaving only the Miyamota violet that he must have inherited from his mother. "Well… thank you for the tour," Yuki whispered so that she wouldn't disturb the room's activity. Then she discretely left, and went to the sanctuary of the garden.

Upon arriving, Yuki immediately decided to explore the tame jungle, knowing that a garden was the best place to find any surprises. And it wasn't long before she found one, or so to speak, it found her.


	28. Chapter TwentyEight: Meeting Ichiro

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Meeting Ichiro**

Only ten minutes had passed in the garden when Yuki unexpectedly felt a tug on her sleeve of her fine kimono. So, she automatically looked down to see the cause, thinking that the cloth had been caught on a thorn or otherwise. However, it was not any sort of thorn, but the small, sweet girl that Yuki had come to know and love. "Rin!" Yuki exclaimed as she crouched down so that she could be eye level with the child, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home where Jaken can keep an eye on you! How did you get here?"

"I snuck away from Jaken and stowed away in the luggage cart," Rin explained, sheepishly twiddling her fingers, "I just wanted to be able to spend more time with you and Lord Sesshomaru. You're not mad, are you?"

Looking into Rin's big innocent eyes was probably the worst thing that Yuki could do in that instance because she lost all thought of wanting to punish the girl for her actions. "No," she replied, "I'm not mad. Just don't ever do it again. If you want to come along next time, you should just ask. Okay?"

Regaining her cheery composure, Rin nodded. "So is this little one yours?" came an unfamiliar voice only five feet away. Yuki turned to see who spoke to her, alarmed that there was anyone standing there at all, only to see Ichiro, Raikou's eldest son. Now that he was on his feet in the gardens instead of sitting on a cushion in the throne room, Yuki saw that his stance was very rooted, though he folded his arms in front of himself and tilted his head as he watched the two females with those mixed eyes. "If you're asking if she's my daughter, then no, she's not," Yuki replied as she stood up straight again, "I simply take care of her."

"That's sweet," Ichiro commented, a gentle smile gracing his lips to reveal his demonic canines that were totally ignored because of the friendliness of the grin, "But when I saw her I was hoping that would be _my_ job again."

"You took care of her before?" Yuki questioned as Ichiro began to move forward, lessening the distance between them.

"I did," he nodded, "It wasn't too long ago when Sesshomaru had brought her here and I was put in charge to care for her while he was wrapped up in official business. We had fun in those days, didn't we, Rin?"

"We sure did!" Rin replied, putting on a smile even broader than Ichiro's, "And now that Miss Yuki is here, we'll have twice the fun!"

With that, Ichiro bit his lip, the red hint in his eyes seeming to lessen as he squinted. "I don't think that I will be able to do that, little one," he countered her, "Father has decided that I should start acting like one with my ranking should, and unfortunately, that rules out playing with you."

Rin let out a sound of disappointment as her smile diminished with the letdown. And seeing the negative results of his bad news, the man put back on a smile and crouched down to look at Rin and said, "But I could keep you and Miss Yuki company for a bit longer before we go to tell Lord Sesshomaru that you are here," he suggested.

"Do we have to tell him?" the little girl questioned, her voice filled with guilt.

"Yes, we have to tell him," Ichiro replied, "Besides, you should take this as a lesson to endure the consequences of your actions."

"You're right, Lord Ichiro," she smiled again, "Let's go find him right now!"

And so she darted off, expecting her guardians to follow, which they did. However, they let her walk about ten feet ahead of them as they talked to one another. "So you are the infamous Yuki," he commented as they both began their stroll, "I've heard quite a bit about you."

"Really?" Yuki questioned, her interest piqued that people had been talking about her so much that it reached someone like Ichiro, "Like what?"

"Well most of it came from women, so I wouldn't want to offend you by repeating it," he answered, "And the bits that came from men would only embarrass you."

Telling Yuki this news was probably about the worst thing in the world that anyone could do at the moment. She sadly hung her head and looked down at the ground in shame of these answers, knowing perfectly well what the news was could have been. Everyone was against her and Sesshomaru… or at least they were against her. The upcoming trial would be pointless. No one would approve of their relationship. "I'm sorry," apologized Ichiro, "I shouldn't have told you that."

"No," Yuki shook her head, "I asked. And at least I know what people think of me now."

For the next few moments, they were both silent as Ichiro simply stared over Yuki, frowning. "That's not what I think of you," he told her.

As he said that, Yuki's gaze snapped up to look at him with wide eyes. He was staring at her with the innocence and comfort of his completely purple eyes. But it hadn't been simply what he had told her that had surprised her; it had been the way that he had said it. Ichiro seemed so caring and understanding towards her, even though they had only met moments ago. It was so strange to Yuki that it made her blush and feel uncomfortable, so she finally decided to change the subject. "Your eyes…" she stated as she stared at them having changed once again to wholly purple, "Why do they do that? Why do they change like they do?"

"Oh, do you mean switching between violet and red?" he returned, clarifying the question, "Well that is actually very simple. You know that I am a half demon, right? Well, I was cursed by having that disability portrayed in my eyes. The purple signifies my human personality and the red portrays my demonic half, or at least, that is how I like to think of it.

"The amount of purple in my eyes is based on if I am feeling or thinking good or pure things. The amount of red is determined on if I am feeling or thinking other unearthly things, such as rage, annoyance, etc., so they are like warning signs to other people. But they rarely ever turn completely red. On those few occasions that they do, though, bad things happen."

"What sort of bad things?" Yuki ventured, a little worried that this man could ever do anything as terrible as his tone suggested, "What happens?"

Ichiro didn't speak for a moment as he gathered the words in his mind to form, "You have experienced a demon's instincts taking them over first hand. You have seen what they become. For me, it isn't much different, except for one fact: others know what they're doing while they're in that state. Their instincts and emotions only convince them to do things that they usually wouldn't. I, on the other hand, have no control. When I am in my demonic state, I turn into a mindless monster…."

Once he trailed off, Yuki knew that it would be best if she didn't press him any farther and decided to change the subject once again. "So, you're a Miyamota," she remarked, "What ability do you have?"

Ichiro looked over towards Yuki, a smirk across his face as a hint of red snuck into his eyes and his tone as he let out the single word, "Poison."

They way that Ichiro had answered her worried Yuki. His tone suggested no regret in his horrible power. His smirk even suggested amusement. And even worse, that red in his eyes told her of evil. Yuki frowned, remembering what Yoita had told her about Miyamotas and their gifts. Each family member's power was a reflection of their personality. Now, Yuki knew that even though she was a Disaster she was not a bad person. She did admit though that she could sometimes lose her temper, so some of the fact was true. But what good could possibly come out of an ability such as Poison? Should she trust her all around impression on him, or the one answer that was so frightening that it had erased all approval of him for a single instant?


	29. Chapter TwentyNine: Exploration

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Exploration**

Thankfully, Sesshomaru wasn't upset with Rin for stowing away to come with them, although he was very disappointed in her for running away and lying to him. But after much apologizing, he agreed to let her stay as long as she stayed on her best behavior and as long as she would let someone other than Yuki babysit her since Yuki had a lot on her mind at the moment.

On top of the fact that she had been brought to an unfamiliar threshold inhabited solely by powerful demons who already didn't like her, Yuki had to worry about the upcoming trial, keeping the peace with her enemies, the fact that one of her own family members might actually contain the evil that was expected of him, and having the difficulties of finding her way around that huge place. Taking care of Rin would probably have been too much for her to handle.

And so there she was, trying to remember her way around that place, testing her knowledge of what locations she could find her way to and from. So far though, she was already a master of finding her bedroom and the throne room from either points and was currently trying her luck with the library… of course, she had to find it first.

That palace truly was a maze in Yuki's mind because the architecture of almost every twist and turn was the exact same make each time. It was a wonder that Yuki was even able to find the library by herself at all. But upon arriving she immediately made her way back out of it and back into the halls. As ill luck and confusion would have it, she was not able to find any familiar site whatsoever and was repeatedly forced to retreat back into the book keeping room.

And just as she was forced to come back for the umpteenth time, she finally decided to give the quest a break so that her temper would not be tested any further that it already had been So far, it had passed a few boiling points as it was.

And that was how Yuki had come to begin to wonder the shelves of books, looking at each and every title, usually only to be disappointed at finding that they were all usually text books instead of stories like she had hoped they would be. And since signs for this library had not put up, Yuki knew that she would have to check every row and column before she would find the 'Fiction' section.

But still Yuki searched, taking this task on as a challenge set by whoever had compiled these works into this place. She scavenged every shelf, every bookcase, and every single inch of that place, but found no sign of a novel of any sort. However, that was only until Kazuhiko came along with her mission in his hand. "Here," he told her, handing her a large book, "I think this is what you might be looking for."

At first, Yuki didn't know what to think about this kind deed. Yes, she was relieved that the journey was completed, but she was also slightly confused about why Kazuhiko was suddenly performing this act of kindness. Yuki gratefully accepted the book anyways and examined the cover for a hint of what it could be about. The Tale of Genji: the world's first fictional novel, written by Murasaki Shikibu, a noble with too much time on her hands. Even though the book was 400 years old, even at that present time so long ago, Yuki was excited to have material that she could look over now. It had always been on Yuki's reading list, even back when she was still in modern times.

"Thank you," Yuki was able to say as she stared at the book, speechless save for the two words that she had just muttered.

"There is no need for thanks," he returned with a slight nod of his head, "But I thought that it would be an obvious choice for you since it is a must-read for any proper lady."

That select phrase startled Yuki, causing her to lift her eyes away from the cover to look at the demon noble standing before her as calm and cool as any other higher classman would be in his position. Yuki could hardly believe her ears. Had he really just addressed by her what she thought he had? "What did you call me?" she questioned, wanting to make sure that he meant what Yuki supposed he did.

"I called you a proper lady," Kazuhiko repeated, "I just surmised that after the judging that Lord Sesshomaru will marry and mate you, turning you into a noble. So, I thought that since that is coming up so quickly that you had better get to reading this while you still can."

"Excuse me?" Yuki questioned, partially offended by the comments that he had made about Sesshomaru and herself, "Number One: Who already decided that we'll even get clearance to marry?"

"Please…" Kazuhiko warned without so much as a flinch at her raised voice, "This is a library, and it's not a good idea to let anyone see this side of you."

"Fine then," Yuki fumed as she grabbed his arm and began leading him outside of the library, her subconscious leading her through the passageways of halls until finally taking her back outside it the garden. "Is this better?" she asked.

The demon only nodded, waiting for the continuance of the abuse he was about to receive. "Number Two: I can't be sure if I'll even end up marrying him!" she pointed out, "Yes, I love him now, but there have been plenty of cases where love wears off, haven't there? It wouldn't be the first time that infatuation was the glue to a relationship."

"Is it the glue to your relationship?" Kazuhiko inquired in unashamed curiosity.

"What?" Yuki asked, her eyes growing wide with surprise that this man of superior placement would even so much as dare the questions that he was laying out. But the shock wasn't enough to override her anger at the rude assumptions that he was making. So it was with this frustration that caused her to instinctively defended herself by replying, "No. Of course not."

And yet it was only after answering the question that Yuki had to stop and think about it. How would she be able to tell if it was infatuation or not? Well… the relationship wasn't so interesting that it was the fascination that was keeping it together. In fact, the relationship was hardly interesting at all anymore. So, this brought up another question: Did she still love Sesshomaru?

"Good," Kazuhiko nodded, a smirk on his face, "Then you should have no trouble at all at the trial."

His speaking snapped Yuki out of her pensive trance so that she could focus on the conversation once again. "Do you really think so?" she questioned, hope in her voice at his consolations.

"Truly," he nodded, "So make sure that you read that book so you will be able to keep up with the rest of the ladies. It basically sums up how someone of higher class should act."

"Shouldn't I wait until after the trial?" Yuki suggested as she attempted to make light of the possible negative results, "What if it turns out that things don't go as we expect? Then the three days of reading would have been for nothing."

"Read it," Kazuhiko repeated, an amused smirk gently forming, "Even if things go poorly, something tells me that it won't stop Lord Sesshomaru… or you either. And if something so horrible does happen to keep you apart, with your beauty and manners the others will be competing over you."

Blushing at the comment that her distant kin gave to her, Yuki couldn't help but wonder about what had brought on this turn of leaf. Was he always like this?


	30. Chapter Thirty: The Good and The Bad

**Chapter Thirty: The Good and The Bad **

The summer sun shining down into the garden was the perfect light to read by, even though Yuki sat in the cool shade of one of the garden's many trees. The Tale of Genji sat open on her lap, just as it had been for the past hour or so as well as the day before as her violet eyes darted across the pages with utter enthusiasm. It was obvious by the way that her eyebrows were raised with interest that she was completely absorbed with the story. A swarm of locusts could have come down upon the castle and Yuki probably wouldn't have noticed, more or less moved from her spot.

In fact, this theory was almost proven as she suddenly heard a voice above her that belonged to someone that she hadn't even noticed hiding in the leaves. "The Tale of Genji... good book," it commented. Yuki's eyes were instantly torn from the words that had been hand written on the page to investigate the the source of the voice. And as she looked up, she realized that yet another surprise was waiting for her there. "Yoita," Yuki let out as she gave a sigh of relief at finding that it was only a friend waiting for her in the branches of the tree.

"How you doin'?" he asked as he raised a hand in greeting as Chame poked his head out of the neck of the man's shirt.

"To tell you you the truth, I'm not doing so well..." Yuki replied as she shook her head and marked her place in the book before closing its cover shut.

"Aww... why is that, Little Hotaru?" he questioned as he leaned forward in his spot.

"Why'd you call me that?" Yuki interrogated. Why did Yoita know about that nickname?

"Oh, some woman called you by it," Yoita replied as he jumped down to the ground and sat down next back down next to Yuki. Then as he put on a sarcastic cheeky smile with the voice to match, he babied her by saying, "I thought that it was cute."

"Well, I would prefer it if you didn't call me that," she told him, "I don't appreciate it."

"Alright then," he replied as he propped up his leg and rested his arm on his knee, "But back to the point... what's wrong?"

"Well... to start out, my relationship with Sesshomaru is on the rocks," she began, "Everyone here is against us just because I'm a Disaster and apparently now well known as the whore of the castle."

"Actually..." a newcomer intruded, "That part has already been filled by a woman who's name I will not mention."

Yuki and Yoita both glanced over towards the path where Ichiro stood only fifteen feet away. And so he began to make his way over towards the two others as they sat beneath the tree.

"Damn," Yoita muttered through clenched teeth, "Excuse my language."

"What's wrong? Do you know Lord Ichiro?" Yuki asked as the hanyou came closer and closer.

"Oh yeah. I know him," Yoita replied, "You see... I was banned from this place a few years back and I'm not really supposed to even be here right now."

"What?" Yuki nearly exclaimed as Ichiro finally reached them, smiling down at the two.

"Ah... Yuki," he greeted with a nod of his head, "And Yoita... I see that you have changed quite a bit since our last meeting."

"And you as well," Yoita returned the nod towards Ichiro as the ferret, Chame, jumped to his feet and bared his fangs at the stranger, then began his defensive 'chuckling'.

"Hush, Chame," his master scolded him. And it was as Yuki looked at the fierce red eyes of the ferret that she noticed the nervousness and fear in Ichiro's own partially red eyes.

"Is something wrong, Lord Ichiro?" Yuki questioned as Chame went to go curl up by the side of his owner in reluctant obedience.

"No," he replied as he regained his composure, "No, of course not."

"Well then, in that case, can we help you with something?" Yoita asked as he folded his hands behind his head.

"First of all, I want to know why you're here," Ichiro replied, the red essence of his eyes increasing ever so slightly as he stared down at the smug foreigner.

"You know what I'm doing here," Yoita replied with defiance in his own dark brown eyes, "I'm here on business."

Neither of the males spoke for a few more passing seconds, leaving Yuki completely confused and curious about this matter. What had Yoita done so long ago to earn him the punishment of banishment? What business did he have here now? "Follow me then," Ichiro instructed him as he turned to go, "And it was nice to see you, Lady Yuki."

"Yeah," Yoita agreed as he stood up and brushed himself off, "Nice to see you Lady Yuki."

It wasn't until they were heading back towards the path that Yuki even noticed that there was yet another figure there: Kazuhiko had stopped to watch his older brother as he came towards the walkway, leading a banished man. And by the glare in the demon's eyes, he was not happy with Ichiro. And yet, he did nothing to stop them. Instead he simply let them pass, Ichiro sending him a maleficent smile and staring at him with completely red eyes that gave him the most malicious of countenances.

And it was with that malevolent expression of Ichiro's and the sneer of Kazuhiko in response to him that assured Yuki which side each brother had taken. As Ichiro walked out of sight, Kazuhiko looked over towards Yuki before beginning to make his way over to her. But she instantly reopened her book and began to pretend to read, hoping that he would maybe go away.

Unfortunately, he didn't. Instead, he did just the opposite by settling down on a spot on the grass next to Yuki both of his legs propped up as he leaned forward and rested both of his arms on a knee. "My brother is such an idiot," he randomly told Yuki.

At first, the young woman didn't know how to respond to the action of this stone cold man just suddenly beginning to speak and share with her about his family issues. The only response that she could muster was, "You shouldn't talk about your brother like that."

"And why shouldn't I?" he retorted with the closest bite of anger that Yuki had ever heard from him, "He is no longer my brother..." Then, he paused and heaved a light sigh, a depressed and vulnerable air surrounding him, "...not anymore..."

They key words that Yuki noticed in this statement were 'not anymore'. "So what happened to change the fact that he used to be?"

"The Temples," Kazuhiko answered without hesitation, "They changed both of us. For example, before I left for my quest to the Ice Temple, I was a pompous, arrogant, and selfish brat. When I returned only months later, I returned as the man you see before you today. But the evolution Ichiro went through was far more drastic..."

But he immediately trailed off as he suddenly realized the things that were escaping his head and heart through his lips. Standing up abruptly he looked as if he was preparing himself to walk away. "What am I doing?" he said aloud, "I'm acting like a fool by telling you these things that you don't want or need to hear."

"It's fine," Yuki protested as she looked up towards his face, "If it will help you feel better by letting some of it out, I'd be happy to listen."

Kazuhiko simply let out a grunt of amusement as he turned his head down towards Yuki. "Discussing any of my emotions would be futile and pointless," he argued, as a mixture of the old pompous Kazuhiko suddenly seemed to merge with the present detached one, "Besides, I don't have enough feelings in this icy heart of mine to require such a trivial method. Good day."

With those words of parting, he turned on his heel and stalked off, taking the path that only delved deeper into the gardens. Yuki could only sigh in defeat as she watched Kazuhiko go. It was apparent by the way that he had begun to open up to her in the beginning that Kazuhiko truly wanted to be heard. And it was something in the way that he had looked so helpless as he talked about his brother that told Yuki that it wouldn't be long before he would be coming back to her to seek someone who would just listen.


	31. Chapter ThirtyOne: Sweet Summer Nights

**Dulcet: _WARNING:_ **This is the chapter where I finally give you guys a lemon. DON'T WORRY. If you don't want to read it, there will be notification for you before it gets messy.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-One: Sweet Summer Nights **

So there she was, lying in her bed , wide awake with suspense the night before her trial with Sesshomaru. The fact that tomorrow would determine her entire life with him was more than enough to keep her tossing and turning, suffering dearly from her nerves. Would she have no peace tonight?

Suddenly though, there was a light knock on the door, causing her snap out of her thoughts and back into the present. So, she got up from her bed, pulled on a robe to cover her night wear that had both a short hem and sleeves.

The knocking persisted until Yuki finally opened the door to find no one but Sesshomaru standing there. "Sesshomaru?" she asked in a whisper, "Why are you here so late?"

"The same reason that you were able to answer the door so quickly," he replied in a natural hushed voice, "I couldn't sleep. Do you think that you could come with me for a walk?"

"A walk?" Yuki repeated, "At this hour?"

"Are you busy with something else _besides_ lying awake in bed?" Sesshomaru countered craftily.

And so Yuki poked her head out of her room and looked left down the hallway, then right before stepping out of her doorway. Sesshomaru instantly began to walk down the passageways with Yuki close behind.

It was as she looked around that she realized that she had no idea where Sesshomaru was taking her since none of what she saw looked familiar. Then again, it was dark and shadowed and everything usually looks different at night, especially in a place like this. But eventually the demon lead her to the front doors of the castle, opened them with impossible silence, then gestured for Yuki to walk outside, which she hesitantly did, followed shortly after by Sesshomaru.

The summer night air warmly kissed her skin as it came in contact, but she didn't have long to enjoy it because she was suddenly surprised as Sesshomaru scooped her up and darted off into the woods at a supernatural speed, distancing Yuki and himself from the castle. And because she was taken so suddenly, Yuki instinctively wrapped her arms around Sesshomaru's neck for security to ease her racing heart.

However, even though Sesshomaru hadn't been running for long, once he stopped Yuki could tell that they were nowhere near the palace. Instead, they were in a rather small space that was lit by perfect blue moonlight. Then, after Sesshomaru set her down back onto the ground, Yuki turned on him and interrogated, "Why have you brought me here?"

"I wanted to speak with you away from the castle," he replied, "You see, Yuki, it was as I was lying awake in bed tonight that I realized something: we haven't been seeing much of each other, and I miss you." As he said this, he went over to Yuki and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to his surprisingly cold form. "And as we both know, our fates will be determined come tomorrow, and the chances of it turning out in our favor aren't good, yet there is still hope that we can be together. We could acquire approval just as easily as we can receive denial, but either way I want you to know that I don't ever want to lose you."

"Sesshomaru," Yuki nearly whispered, "What are you trying to tell me?"

"But if I do lose you, I want the guarantee that you will always be safe from harm," he went on, ignoring Yuki's request for an explanation, "And I've thought this over and I think that it's a good idea."

"Just tell me what you want," came Yuki's final plea.

But Sesshomaru still didn't answer as he unfurled his loose hand on her countenance, his clawed fingers caressing her cheek as he did so. Then slowly the man began to lean in towards Yuki as his nails traced across her cheek, passing over the curve of her jaw, and coming onto her neck, touching its base just as his lips kissed hers. They shared a deep and tender kiss for only a moment before Sesshomaru pulled away, his hand having had slipped beneath the folds of Yuki's nightly dressings so that his claws were pressing into her bare skin. "You," he whispered softly, his eyes still closed from the kiss as he pressed his forehead to hers, "I am selfish and impatient and I want you to give yourself to me right now so I won't ever have to share you."

When she heard these words, Yuki was amazed that her heart didn't stop on the spot. Instead of that, it actually began to quicken, beating faster and faster as moments went by. What should she do? What _**could **_she do? Sesshomaru, the first man that she had ever loved, had just asked if he could take her, right then and there. How could a girl respond to that?

"Yuki?" Sesshomaru called after having not received an answer from her, causing her to shake her head as she was pulled back down to earth. She looked up at him, his eyes filled with a pleading element as he awaited the required answer. And so, she gave it to him. Yuki slowly put her lips to his in a soft kiss as she began to remove her thin robe to reveal her sleeping clothes, throwing the second layer behind her without so much as breaking the kiss.

And so Sesshomaru began to let his hand that rested on her neck begin to migrate across Yuki's shoulder, taking the clothing that covered her with it. Then slowly, he did the same with her other sleeve, letting the neck of her kimono slip off of her small shoulders so that it revealed her neckline and the beginning of the valley between her breasts.

Now having her shoulders completely exposed, Sesshomaru nestled his cheek against the arch of her neck, snuggling it as Yuki felt the breathing in his chest begin to become deep and slow as it pressed against her own chest. Then Sesshomaru dropped to his knees in thanks and buried his face into Yuki's still-covered stomach, inhaling her scent as Yuki placed a hand on his head, lovingly stroking his hair as she also got onto her knees.

* * *

Yuki then lightly pecked Sesshomaru on the lips before beginning to help him remove his own articles of clothing. First came his shirt, which was easy enough to remove since tonight he was not wearing his usual equipment such as his armor and weapons. But when his shirt came off, Yuki couldn't help but marvel at what she saw: muscles so firm that she thought that they were stone as she gently glided her hands across their smooth exterior.

But Sesshomaru only allowed her to do this for a moment before hungrily attacking that favorite spot on of his on Yuki's neck, placing his hands at the neckline of her dress, slowly slipping it down her arms as it began to reveal more and more of her pink flesh.

Nevertheless, as her clothing was gradually being removed, Yuki took no notice as she lifted her hands to place at the back of the demon's head, entwining her fingers in his silvery strands as she stretched out her neck to make his job of kissing, sucking, and biting easier and more pleasurable for the both of them.

Then slowly Sesshomaru eased Yuki down to the ground, the cast-off robe now acting as a bed at this limited and desperate time as he maneuvered Yuki so that he now hovered over her on his elbows and knees.

Yuki could feel her temperature rising along with her heart beat, thudding against Sesshomaru as he pressed himself onto her, his hands slowly making their way back up the soft skin of her arms and back to her shoulders, only to head south again as they slid across the center of her collar bone, the chill of his touch cherishing the warmth of this woman as they passed the center of her chest and ended up back outside of the sleeping wear that was covering so little of her now. His fingers found the sash that bound it closed, but didn't even bother to attempt untying it. Instead, with a heated impatience that only his sex drive reflected, he shredded the binding so that he could quickly thereafter part and remove what was left of Yuki's clothing.

The demon lord then pulled away from Yuki's neck, sitting up vertically to look down and examine the goods that he was about to claim. His golden eyes scanned over her pink flesh as it illuminated in the moonlight, the wonderful shapes of the body complemented by the shadows they cast. Yuki let her arms rest above her, her hands limp and loose by her head as she watched his reaction, only to have her own drive strengthened as her partner's defined pecs heaved up and down, trying to get oxygen to soothe his racing heart.

A fire was building up inside of Yuki; embers beginning to bring fire into existence once again as they were so readily fed. Sesshomaru's hands touched down onto Yuki's stomach, her warmth soaking into Sesshomaru's hands as he stole it from her. Then once having become an appropriate temperature, Sesshomaru began to run his hands away from each other towards Yuki's curves, feeling every flat muscle along the way. He then ran his hands up and down her sides, caressing her with a firmness that portrayed his longings

He stopped as he arrived at her ribs, feeling a thumping going on inside of Yuki that was similar to his own chest pounds. Then, as his heart was quickly brought up to speed with hers, Yuki watched as his eyes were once again changed to their demonic nature, telling her that he was now officially fully aroused and having unearthly needs.

So Sesshomaru threw himself back on top of Yuki so that his cold body could receive the full use of the heat that engulfed Yuki's form. But simply putting his being so close to her apparently wasn't enough for Sesshomaru as he began grind and writhe against the female, only to encourage himself to begin grinding his clothed hips against her, the waistline of his pants loosening, slipping, and receding as he did so, only to soon leave him totally bottomless as he once again returned his mouth to Yuki's neck, the unnatural fangs sending tingles down her spine as Sesshomaru's hands worked their way back down across her chest, down her stomach, over her hips until they reached the inside of her thighs, only to push them apart.

It was then that was the first time that Yuki ever felt any man's character, Sesshomaru's sweetly threatening to penetrate her, which Yuki couldn't help but anticipate. But then the sharp canines that were at her neck and shoulder once again brought her attention back to the points at which they had settled, pressing harder as they warned her of what was to come.

"Sesshomaru," Yuki moaned, begging him satisfy the heart that was racing for him, "Please… take me." This anticipation was torture on her. With his teeth causing teasing toying tingles at the base of her neck and his lower part stirring up a true fire inside of her that couldn't be contained much longer, Yuki could only wait for his next move.

A cry a pain escaped Yuki's lips as her previous request was fulfilled as Sesshomaru pierced her in more ways than one. His fangs were now deeply set into her neck as his large member had been thrust even deeper after shattering Yuki's virginity.

Sesshomaru let out groan of longing as he had this first taste of Yuki's inner fire, the tensing of his body being a signal that he wanted more than a lick of its flames. He wanted to be engulfed entirely, so he slowly began to pump himself in and out of Yuki, easing her into the motions as her pain began to wear away.

And it was as this hungry dog was applying his lower half that he slowly drew out his fangs from her neck, kissing the new marks as if that would help them to go away. But the better accustomed his vessel became to the pain, the louder she started to moan as it turned into pleasure. The louder she moaned, the faster, harder, and deeper Sesshomaru was motivated to go.

At this rate, it wasn't long before Sesshomaru was plunging himself up to the hilt as he entered and reentered Yuki, their body heat beginning to climb as Yuki dug her nails into Sesshomaru's back, goading him on into going even faster so that their first climaxes would soon be upon them.

But the moment couldn't come soon enough for Yuki as she passionately wrapped her legs around Sesshomaru's, exposing her moist cavern all the better for her lover. "Faster," she gasped, feeling her first highlight of sexual experience coming upon her. And all too readily, Sesshomaru obeyed Yuki so that he could increase Yuki's huffs and squeaks into screams and shouts. "Oh God, oh God," she whispered repeatedly and rapidly as the fire began to build up inside of her furnace until suddenly, the flames were released, bursting out along with a series of passionate screams as Sesshomaru refused to stop once the pleasure point had been reached.

The pleasure was immeasurable as Sesshomaru carried on for many more plunges after his and his mate's orgasms, Yuki's cries of her unbearable ecstasy all the more reason for him to go on…just as long as he could continue to make her scream like this, his own fantasy would be elongated as well.

But the demon was only able to keep this up for ten minutes more, letting out a grunt of achievement as he attempted to pull out one last time, only to be stopped by Yuki wrapping her legs around him his back as she squeezed herself around him, making him spill his seed into her. Of course, at a time like this Sesshomaru wouldn't be the one to argue, so he finally let himself collapse on top of Yuki, laying his head to rest on her fiery bosom, covered with the sweet perspiration like his own body was. Then he turned his head and looked up at the mark that he himself had made as his eyes finally turned back to their golden orbs, though the expression remained on his sweaty face that caused his damp hair to stick to it. With one hand, he wrapped an arm protectively around Yuki, who still had her legs tightly around him so that he couldn't retire from inside of her. With the other hand, he gently stroked the two markings, arousing a groan of pain from Yuki, which Sesshomaru totally ignored as he muttered one word, "Mine."


	32. Chapter ThirtyTwo: Preparation

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Preparation**

The first thing that Yuki noticed as she opened her eyes from slumber was that the forest was poorly lit with musky lighting as the sun was preparing itself to rise over the distant mountains. The second thing she took notice of as she slowly awoke was the motion that was occurring beneath her. So, she slowly turned over, only to find the shirtless and sleeping Sesshomaru laying under her, his chest heaving up and down as he peacefully dreamed.

Slowly Yuki sat up on top of him, her legs on either side of him as rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. After that, she took another good look at Sesshomaru, slowly tracing his defined muscles with her eyes, taking in every last smooth detail of the man. That is, until she realized that she had a limit once her eyes fell upon his waistline, realizing that he had put his pants back on during the course of the night, just like his shirt had somehow found its way onto Yuki, hanging loosely off of her small frame.

Then she bent down again, planting a sweet and quick kiss on Sesshomaru's lips, then sitting back up to look at him. And like a subject having been put under an enchanted spell, Sesshomaru began to stir after the kiss, opening his eyes just as the sun rose, bathing the forest in golden light. "Good morning, my prince," Yuki said as she smiled down at him.

Sesshomaru returned the grin as he gazed up at her from his spot on the ground. "After what happened last night, I think that the title of king is more appropriate," he countered, placing his hands on Yuki's hips.

"Are you kidding?" Yuki questioned him with a chuckle, "After what happened last night, I think the title of god would be more appropriate."

"I agree," he replied as Yuki began to run her hands up and down his torso, "That way whenever I make you scream it from now on, I'll know that you're addressing me."

"Sesshomaru!" Yuki giggled as she gave him a gentle shove, "You're horrible!"

"That's not what you seemed to think last night."

"Oh, give it a rest will you?" Yuki told him, not even bothering to hide her smile as Sesshomaru leaned his head back, chuckling to himself as he stared up at the morning sky. "I can't believe that we stayed out all night," he told her as he finally started to settle down again.

But realizing what he had just said, Sesshomaru bolted upright, nearly knocking Yuki off of him as he did so. "We stayed out all night," he repeated, his smile miles away and now replaced by the rarest case of fear, "Everyone else will be waking up soon and they will notice our absence!"

"We better hurry up and get back then," Yuki agreed, feeling the exact same worry as Sesshomaru and immediately getting off of him to let him up.

"Follow me," Sesshomaru ordered as he grabbed Yuki's hand and began to lead here away from the small clearing, his normal calm disposition having already returned to him. Then they came to a small pool where Sesshomaru finally let go of Yuki and began to pull off his pants, telling Yuki to strip as well. "We need to wash away each other's scent," he explained as stepped into the water, soon followed by Yuki herself, "If they find out what we did, things won't be good for us."

"But now that we've gone through with it, they can't do anything about us," Yuki pointed out.

"Our guidelines do not work like that," Sesshomaru explained, "Mating is not like marriage. A demon's mates are more like his mistresses until he marries them, and even then, not all females are permitted to become mated to demons. Until the council says otherwise, you are in that category, so if they find out what I have done…"

In that silence, it would have been obvious to anyone that the end of that sentence was bad.

"It's freezing!" she complained as she attempted to change the subject, rubbing her arms in the waist-deep water, trying to generate and keep as much warmth to herself as possible.

"Hold your hair up," Sesshomaru instructed, ignoring his mate's comments, "You don't want to let it get wet; it would take more time than we have to dry out."

Instantly Yuki obeyed, holding her hair in a mess on top of her head with her hand. Then Sesshomaru dipped his hands into the water and brought some up with him as he began to scrub Yuki's body to get rid of his essence that was covering her. And after he was finished with her, Sesshomaru held up his own hair and allowed Yuki in turn to bathe him, although there were certain points that Yuki could tell that he had to restrain himself from bolting from the cold water that dogs like him simply could not tolerate.

Eventually, after they were done and dry, they went back to the camp and redressed themselves in their own clothing. Then Sesshomaru once again scooped Yuki up into his arms and bolted for the castle, arriving back in moments. But Sesshomaru did not yet dare to set Yuki down. Instead he carried her all throughout their journey back to her room, sneaking around corners and dodging oncoming people, deftly avoiding any notice of those few people -mostly servants- who were already up and awake. There were even a few instances when Yuki actually believed that they would get caught. Such as when someone unexpectedly came out of a room or became slightly aware of their presence. In fact, the couple had actually once almost encountered a noble, who was suspiciously sniffing the air, catching a faint hint of their scent. Luckily though, he was called away, leaving Sesshomaru and Yuki undiscovered behind the corner where they were hiding from him.

Of course they were not caught though, and Sesshomaru was successful in getting Yuki back to her room safely. "No matter what happens today at the trial, whether we're given everyone's blessings or their contempt, remember last night," he told her as he placed a hand on her cheek, "And remember that I love you… so much."

"I love you too, Sesshomaru," Yuki replied, the fact that today would decide whether she would ever see him again now weighing heavily on her heart. Then Sesshomaru gave her one last kiss before he pulled away and went down the hall to his own room, leaving her alone.

So slowly she closed the door behind her, pressing her back to it once it was shut. And as she stood there, it seemed as if an eternity passed before she was finally able to wretch herself out of awe. She had to pretend as if nothing had happened. And so, she got dressed as she normally would have and left her room.

------------------------------------------------

The trial wouldn't be until later in the day, so Yuki had plenty of time to try and clear her thoughts, and as always, she decided to do that by taking a walk in the gardens. A good walk always seemed to lift her spirits somehow. It gave her time to think.

A few minutes into the stroll though, Yuki began to hear a sound that was not native to the gardens. The melodious song of a flute sounded nearby, singing in a mysterious and lonely key, its notes echoing clearly and eerily throughout the grounds, reaching the ear of anyone nearby. And of course, Yuki followed the sound, its beautiful music piquing her curiosity as to what was creating this wonderful tune.

But as she found the source, Yuki was both amazed and surprised at the person performing the piece, his eyes closed in pure emotion as his crinkled brow showed the negativity of his feelings. And even though it wasn't truly there, Yuki could sense the dark and sighing aura escaping Kazuhiko's body as he sat in a lone tree, separate from the rest. One leg was propped up in front of him as the other dangled loosely, his posture slumping forward slightly.

Kazuhiko didn't seem to notice Yuki as she came closer, enchanted by the demon's hidden talent and it wasn't until the final drawn out note that he finally and slowly opened his purple eyes, almost weary looking as he did so and it did not change, even as he first noticed Yuki standing ten feet away. "Strange, isn't it?" he commented, "How we keep running into each other in this place, I will never know."

"You're playing is beautiful," Yuki returned, ignoring the man's statement.

Then suddenly Kazuhiko's eyes narrowed at Yuki and he vanished, only to reappear a moment later three feet in front of her. "Who asked you?" he snapped unexpectedly.

At first, Yuki was shocked at his outburst since it was so out of his character. Kazuhiko must have realized this as well because he instantly straightened his posture into his usual superior stance. "I apologize for that," he told Yuki as he looked away from her and off into the distance.

"It's okay," she replied, slightly unsure, "It happens to everyone."

"Are you nervous?" Kazuhiko questioned, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, "About the trial, I mean."

"Of course I am," Yuki replied with a heavy sigh, "Who knows what they'll decide for us."

"If it's any consolation, I've been to many trials," he told her, "As a spectator though. But basically, each trial is not so much of a judgment than a test. If Lord Sesshomaru's and your relationship meets the Council's standards, than you should have nothing to worry about."

"And if we don't meet their standards?" Yuki asked.

"Then nothing," Kazuhiko replied, finally facing Yuki full on, "You both will receive some sort of sentence, somehow including your separation from Lord Sesshomaru forever."


	33. Chapter ThirtyThree: Trial In Session

**Dulcet: **Finally! The moment that you have all been waiting for! This is the trial that will decide all!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Trial In Session**

The trial took place in the throne room, with a few minor details about it that had been offered. Rows of cushions had been laid out in the vast amount of empty space so that the audience would be comfortable. And at the panel that the noble family usually occupied were different nobles, most of them seeming middle aged except for two on each end: the ever popular brothers, Ichiro and Kazuhiko.

It was as she was brought into the room along with Sesshomaru that Yuki first immediately picked them out of the crowd. She couldn't believe her eyes! Some of her own 'family members' were to be included among her judges! Wasn't there a rule against that?

Not that Yuki was complaining though. After all, what was there to worry about them having their say in the evaluation? Ichiro -though recently discovered to be evil- had no beef with Yuki so therefore had no reason to disapprove of her and Sesshomaru unless he had good reason. And Kazuhiko… well… he wasn't so heartless that he would do something against Yuki, was he?

"Let's get started," Raikou called from his position at the supreme spot among the others.

And at the promise of the beginning, the rest of the spectators hushed their voices and focused upon the commencing ceremony. "Lord Sesshomaru," Raikou addressed now that the room was deathly silent, "Before we begin, I would like to know if you are sure of what you are doing. Are you this determined to keep Yuki with you?"

It was very surprising to the others of the sureness that Sesshomaru came off with as he nodded his head in confirmation. "I am," he answered.

"Hmm…" Raikou expressed as he rubbed his bearded chin in thought, "That's very intriguing. So, what I want to know now is: why?"

"Yes," one of the others -obviously a skeptic- questioned, "Please enlighten us as to why you would choose a poor, useless, and powerless Miyamota human over any other female."

"I would prefer it if you did not insult her as you are," Sesshomaru replied, short of retorting, at which Yuki flinched since he was now treading into dangerous grounds that they couldn't afford to go near.

"And why shouldn't he?" another noble questioned, "None of the traits that he accuses the human of are false. She is poor. Why else would she act and present herself in the manner she does? She is useless. Everyone here has heard of her incident with a demon unknown and therefore automatically categorizes her as ineligible to become any other demon's wife, mate, or otherwise. And she is powerless. She is weak and has not learned her family's trade."

"What he says is true," Raikou concurred, "It seems that you are competing with a solid offense… Do you believe you can counter it?"

"I can," Sesshomaru nodded as he stepped forward, "The incident with the other demon was based off of assumptions and gossip and is entirely a lie."

"How can you be so sure of this?" the first noble questioned.

"She explained the situation to me," Sesshomaru replied, "The day that she returned to me after our mishap, she told me that she was kidnapped and nearly taken advantage of. However, she managed to escape before the fiend could go through with his intentions."

"Her given word is not enough to sway us," a third noble butted in, "So you better have better evidence than that if you want to prove to us that the human is not only a tramp, but a liar as well."

It was obvious to no one but Yuki that Sesshomaru was becoming very annoyed by the thrashings that she was receiving from his fellow lords. At that last comment, only she could hear the quiet growl of offense annoyance he let escape as the rest of it was portrayed in his raging eyes. But to be honest, Yuki wasn't taking these insults so well either. In fact, if she wasn't so "powerless" then she would probably be catching all of these men's hair on fire. "A mark," Ichiro piped up from his end of the row, "If the demon truly had taken her, he wouldn't have taken the risk simply to have a one-night-stand. So, therefore we will be able to tell whether she has been taken or not by the mark or lack thereof."

"He's right," the first skeptic agreed, "No demon would be foolish enough to take a woman another demon was interested in unless he planned to claim her."

With that, the entire panel, and even a good portion of the audience, was set into murmurs of consensus. Yuki's gaze immediately went to Sesshomaru, her eyes pleading for him to think up a defense tactic so that they wouldn't check her. But by the way that he was returning her gaze, she could tell that he had none. These were his betters; he could argue with them, but he could not defy them and at this point, arguing wouldn't be enough. Raikou made a gesture to the room, requesting silence once again. "I think that Lord Ichiro's suggestion is very reasonable," he said, his sight set on Yuki as she tried desperately to hide her nerves, "Just a simple slip of the neckline will do, Yuki."

Sesshomaru took a step in front of Yuki and was about to protest when another voice beat him to it. "I find it highly unlikely that the demon even had the chance to take her," it said.

All heads turned towards the source where Kazuhiko sat, ignoring the rooms gawks as he stared at the couple on trial. "And why is that?" Raikou questioned.

"Yuki is an honest and non-corrupt woman," the ice demon explained, "I have spoken with her on multiple occasions to test her dedication to Lord Sesshomaru and I found that they seem to have a very strong relationship."

"Get to the point," the first and most irritable of the nobles scoffed.

Kazuhiko disregarded the treatment and simply went on, "If something had happened, I believe that Yuki would have told Sesshomaru, and we all know him to always obey the rules of court, regardless who he is speaking for. If he confirms Yuki's excuses, I think we should believe him."

"Yes, but Lord Sesshomaru could be committing a first and be lying," Ichiro argued, "It is as you told me years ago, 'We all do foolish things in the name of love.'"

"But there is a way to test if she has given into the lust of the body even if she wasn't marked," Kazuhiko remarked, "It would be far more accurate than simply checking for a mark that might not have even been placed, regardless of what went on between Yuki and this demon anonymous and in addition will see if she has been bedded by a human, that leaves no marks."

"He's right," Raikou nodded as unnoticed Ichiro ground his teeth in defeat for a reason unknown to Yuki, who seemed to be the only one to notice him, "Someone send for the Priestess Water."

"Sesshomaru," Yuki whispered as the couple was temporarily forgotten, "What is the Priestess Water?"

"It is a mystic water that comes from a mountain that houses a famous priestess's resting place," he replied in a hushed tone, "Her heart was one of the purest throughout history and could never be tempted to stray from her virtuous path. So, the springs that reside in the mountain are purified with the spiritual essence of her power and since it had been a sacred place, they act as defense mechanisms, guarding her grave from those who do not deserve to see it. If anyone who had ever given into physical temptation drank a cup full of the Priestess Water, they would die."


	34. Chapter ThirtyFour: Trial Adjourned

**Dulcet: **This chapter is dedicated to the few days before I go to the anime convention after S.K.I.N. had already performed. WE LOVE YOU MIYAVI, GACKT, SUGIZO, AND YOSHIKI! WISH I COULD BE THERE TO SEE YOU!!! (My stupid sister got to see them... LUCKY!)

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Trial Adjourned**

"While we are waiting, I think that we should address some of the other matters," a faceless judge called, instantly silencing any conversation with the similar effect as Raikou's previous request. Everyone else was also interested in the other problems and eager to see how Yuki and Sesshomaru could squirm their way out of them.

"That seems like a very good idea," the main judge nodded, "The Priestess Water will only test Yuki's eligibility. We must still find a way to approve of her."

"Yes, and so far I'm not thinking that this match is such a good one," said a man, who had been quiet until now, "Yuki is not only a Disaster, but one who has no control. What can we expect of that? One false move around her and she could accidentally burn down an entire palace!"

"But that can easily be fixed," Ichiro countered, "Some time at the Fire Temple and that will no longer be a problem."

"But mastering her skills would take some time," another man announced, "We don't have years to waste on her, and neither does Lord Sesshomaru. So, I think we should give her a time limit. A month should do."

"A month is not nearly long enough for such a delicate and important craft!" Ichiro debated, "I think we should give her at least half a year."

"But that is also too long," the same noble replied, "Two months."

"We will make it three months," Raikou interrupted, "That way she will be able to stay for most of summer and return in the fall."

There were a few mumbles of doubt, thinking that the time suggested time was either too long or too short. Few believed that it was proper. "Then it is agreed," Raikou called, ignoring their uncertainty, "Yuki will leave come tomorrow if nothing else interrupts her departure. She will return in the beginning of autumn and prove to us all that she has acquired at least the basics of Fire. If she has not done at least that by then, we have the right to deny her and Sesshomaru's relationship."

Mumbles of agreement followed until yet another man spoke up, "But what of her position in society. Should we not also consider that?"

"I don't think so," Raikou replied to everyone's amazement, "It is Sesshomaru's choice who he wants to wed. It is simply our job to judge her as a person and not her social status."

The doors nearby swung open to reveal Kazuhiko entering the large room with a small vile in hand, most likely containing the Priestess Water. "Ah, it's here," said one of the original skeptics, "Let us see if all of this was for not."

And so the demon prince went to Yuki, took her hands and placed the small glass vile into them, then with a turn on his heel, he returned to his seat among the others. "A cup would kill any perpetrator, " Raikou pointed out as Yuki stared at the water in her hand, "That is why we have given you so little. If it takes any effect, it will only make you feel sick for a few hours."

And so Yuki took the top off of the container and stared at it for only a moment before glancing over to Sesshomaru, who gave an encouraging nod. If she didn't drink it, it would give everyone good grounds to believe what they wanted. But if she did drink it, at least she would go down nobly. And so, she put the glass mouth to her own and tipped it back and drank.

So, she waited for the results, as did everyone else, but they didn't seem to come. A few more moments the room waited in silence. "Anything?" Ichiro questioned with raised eyebrows, finally giving a much needed break to the silence.

Yuki waited for one more moment before shaking her head in denial. "Nothing, my lords," she replied.

It didn't make any sense. Why had nothing happened? "That settles it then," Raikou announced, "Yuki, you will leave tomorrow to search for the Fire Temple and you will only return after the last day of summer. Trial adjourned."

Movement and conversation instantly filled the throne room as many of its occupants arose from their seats and began emptying out, a few wishing to stay behind for a couple minutes more. But Yuki didn't notice any of those people because the instant that he was allowed to, Sesshomaru took Yuki into his arms and pulled her into an embrace. "The hardest part is over," he told Yuki as he cradled her in his hold, "Only a few months and we can begin arrangements for our wedding."

It surprised Yuki that she was not intimidated by those words. Not too long ago she was sure that doubts would have sprung up on the spot… but now when he said it, it felt right. She was looking forward to returning to marry Sesshomaru. She was ready to commit to him.

Then Yuki pulled away to stare up at him, smiling a gentle smile as Sesshomaru returned one of slightly smaller proportions, but it had just as much warmth. Then, Yuki suddenly realized something and decided to ask him about it. "Sesshomaru…" she began, her smile fading into a look of curiosity, "Is it a requirement for a demon's fiancé to be a virgin?"

"Well…" he flinched at her bringing up the subject, "Yes and no."

With that answer, Yuki's face dropped into a frown. "Excuse me?" she asked, "What do you mean by 'yes and no'?"

"Well… if a male demon becomes intimate with a female, she would not be able to mate with any other demon besides him for two reasons. One, it would be improper and unorthodox. Two, a male demon is built with certain precautions that would disable their ability to bed another's mate and also ensures that other demon's would not bed their own. However, this effect is totally mute when it comes to human men. So, in short, a woman does not have to be a virgin to mate with a demon. They just couldn't have lain with his kith; otherwise, the male would die.

"You see, that's why I suggested last night in the first place. If my request for you was denied, I at least would have ensured that Naraku could not take you instead…or any other demon for that matter."

"That was very thoughtful of you," Yuki told him, grinning up at him. Seeing his lover's reaction, Sesshomaru thought that now that he had explained himself that he was safe from Yuki's anger. Of course, we all know Yuki better than that.

A blaze of anger overtook her as she dropped her forgiving façade and started to yell at him, as quietly as possible so that no one else could overhear. "How could you be so stupid?" she questioned, "If that water had actually worked, I would have been accused of sleeping with someone else!"

"I apologize," Sesshomaru told her, "I didn't think that they would go to that extreme to find out if you were untouched."

"And if they hadn't, I would have had to show them the mark on my shoulder!" Yuki pointed out, checking her voice to make sure it wasn't too loud, but so that it was still getting the point across, "Then we'd both be in trouble for doing what we did!"

Sesshomaru let out a sigh as he began to calm himself. "Yes, I admit that it was my fault for almost causing a situation," he told her, "But we weren't caught. The water didn't work for some bizarre reason."

Unexpectedly, Yuki's anger vanished in a puff of smoke as her wonder was raised at being reminded of this fact. "I was wondering about that," she commented, "Why didn't it work?"

Then Sesshomaru looked behind Yuki to somewhere beyond her and replied, "I'm not sure… but we will have to thank Lord Kazuhiko for it."

And so Yuki turned around to see that Sesshomaru was staring over at Kazuhiko himself, who was speaking with a few other men. But then the young man noticed the attention that the couple was paying to him and he did something curious of his nature: he smiled and sent over a friendly wink, confirming Sesshomaru's theory that he had indeed helped them in some way.


	35. Chapter ThirtyFive: Unmasking Evil

**Dulcet: **Sorry that this chapter, in one word, sucks. My brain has been really tired and lazy lately...

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**Chapter Thirty-Five: Unmasking Evil**

The pounding at Yuki's door immediately woke her from her midnight slumber. In fact, she wouldn't have been surprised if it had woken her neighbors as well, which was exactly why she jumped up to answer it. "Yes?" she greeted in a quiet and groggy voice, her eyes half closed with sleep.

"Could I talk to you?" Ichiro's voice questioned, causing Yuki's eyes to open wide with shock as she became fully alert.

"Wha… what?" Yuki said, suddenly aware of what he was asking of her, "This late at night? Couldn't it wait?"

"I don't think so," Ichiro answered, "So throw something on to cover up. We can't talk inside… even the walls have ears in this place."

She should have protested and asked further questions, but she didn't. Instead, Yuki obeyed and went back into her room and quickly pulled on her white robe and went back to the doorway where Ichiro waited. But he wasted no time on any more words before he turned and began leading through the hallways. He raced around corners and hastened down the passages so Yuki had to lightly jog to keep up with him. It was so strange that he was in such a hurry.

Should Yuki really have trusted Ichiro to guide her through the dark hallways this way? After all, after you got to know him, he didn't seem like the best of all guys. And it especially probably wasn't the best idea for Yuki to let Ichiro lead her around through and into shadows that were so large a crazed elephant could stampede out at any moment and so dark that a white tiger could be hiding in them, ready to pounce at any moment.

Yet, she followed him still, asking no questions and expressing no thoughts as he made his way stealthily through the house until finally reaching the doorway that Yuki had come to know very well. Of course, she recognized it only when its heavy doors were wide open, which they were quite the opposite at the moment as they had been closed tight. But Ichiro simply approached the door and carefully cracked one open so that moonlight from outside poured in without so much as a grinding sound from the hinges.

The two figures then went outside and into the moonlit gardens, making their way into it and away from the walls of the castle. And so Ichiro lead Yuki to a vaguely familiar place: the group of trees where she had found Kazuhiko only the other day, playing his flute. "Why have you brought me here?" Yuki finally felt brave enough to speak, however she did it in a very hushed voice.

"So that no one would overhear us," he explained as he finally turned to Yuki, smiling a warm grin that she had first come to know him by, "We have some very important secrets to discuss."

Then, he sat at the base of the lone tree and patted the grass next to him. "Please, sit," he requested, causing Yuk to immediately do so. Ichiro then gave a heavy sigh as he leaned his head on the trunk of the tree. "Tomorrow when you leave, three escorts will be accompanying you on your journey," Ichiro began, "Those escorts will be our friend Yoita, Kazuhiko, and myself. We will be seeing that you arrive and return safely from the Fire Temple. However, there might be a problem with Kazuhiko…"

"A problem?" Yuki questioned, "How?"

"I believe that he is in league with Naraku," Ichiro replied as looked over at her.

"That's imposs…" Yuki began to argue, but then she saw his eyes… no color mixture. They were only one solid color, turned into a dark blue from the moonlight. He wasn't lying… "But he's not a bad guy," Yuki said in disbelief, "I can't possibly believe that he'd be capable of helping Naraku."

"But that's exactly what he wanted," Ichiro replied, "Think about it. The first day that he met you, you could tell that he wasn't exactly fond of you. Not too long later and he's being nice to you; performing random acts of kindness and trust such as starting a conversation, asking how you are feeling, and… giving you books. He's only doing it to earn your trust… and it worked, didn't it?"

It was very hard for Yuki to take this new information in. Kazuhiko was so nice…. it was so surprising. "What's your proof?" Yuki questioned, wanting to know if it could be true.

"I don't need proof," Ichiro explained, "He's my brother. I know him better than I know myself so I'm sure that he wasn't give the power of ice just because it suited his birthday. He is a selfish and cold hearted man, Miss Yuki. Helping others is of no interest to him unless he can gain from it."

"Then what could he possibly have to gain by helping me?" Yuki asked, her faith in Ichiro quickly fading.

"Other than your trust?" he returned, his eyebrows raised, "Well, for one, there is Lord Sesshomaru."

Letting out a gasp of terror, her eyes grew big. "What do you mean by that?"

"Naraku is killing all of the nobles," Ichiro reminded Yuki, "Destroying Lord Sesshomaru would be dealing a great blow to our group and it would be so easy to do if Naraku could easily manipulate him by taking you hostage. You are in love with a very powerful man, Miss Yuki. It's about time that you started realizing that."

So then Ichiro stood up from his spot and began to dust himself off. "If you still don't believe me, then just keep the information I gave you tonight in mind," he said to her, "Once an evil is unmasked, it can no longer be hidden."


	36. Chapter ThirtySix: Sibling Rivalry

**Dulcet: **And here it is! The last update until Thursday or Friday.

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**Chapter Thirty-Six: Sibling Rivalry**

It had only been four hours since Yuki and her escorts had left the castle, the only people truly sorry to see her go being Sesshomaru and Rin, who was regretful of having not spent enough time with Yuki during her stay. But now the party had decided to take their first rest stop beside a singing stream, Yuki sitting on the edge of the forest and in the shade while the boys argued on how to catch a fish.

"You have to wait until it comes to you," Ichiro argued as he stood in the riverbed with his shoes off and his pants rolled up, "And that's when you snatch it."

"I still think we should try and spear one," Yoita countered as he stood on a rock with his sword drawn out, also scanning the waters for one of its inhabitants.  
"You are both so naïve," Kazuhiko commented as he rolled his eyes, sitting cross legged on a boulder, the fishing pole that he had made only minutes ago in hand, "And stop yelling. If you keep it up, there won't be any fish to snatch, spear, or catch."

"Well I can tell you one thing; you're not going to catch any fish like that, little brother," Ichiro told him as he looked up from the surface of the river.

"I thought I told you not to call me that ever again," the ice demon spat as he his eyes closed and his brow crinkled it irritation.

"You did," the older sibling replied, "But I don't have to listen to you. I'm older, wiser, stronger, faster, and all around better than you. Besides, you used to like it. You remember… back in the days when you called me 'big brother' in that innocent and childish tone of yours."

"That was a long time ago, _Ichiro_. Besides… I could wipe the forest floor with you any time I want," Kazuhiko challenged with fierceness in his eyes as he stared over at Ichiro.

"Are you so sure? I'd like to see you try."

"I don't like the looks of this…" Yuki said aloud as Kazuhiko set down his fishing rod and stood up on his boulder. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?" he questioned Ichiro as he began to crack his knuckles and tilt his head from side to side, stretching out his neck.

"You bet I am!" Ichiro nodded.

"Oh no…" Yoita let out as he jumped from the rock that he was standing on to the shore, "Not another one of their contests!"

"What contests?" Yuki inquired as her guardian took a seat next to her, "Are they going to fight?"

"No," Yoita replied as Kazuhiko began to remove his own shoes and roll up the hems of his pants, just before getting into the water about ten feet away from Ichiro, "By the looks of things, I think that they're going to have a fishing contest."

"A… fishing contest?" Yuki questioned, "Why?"

"It's what they do," Yoita replied as he shook his head, "They turn everything into a contest; it's in their family's nature… and the fact that they're brothers only makes it worse. I remember the last squabble they got into to test their bravery and archery skill. It was during training, I believe. Ichiro stood in front of a tree, on one foot on top of a log. Kazu would then shoot arrows at his head and try to make a border around it. If Kazu didn't land within an inch of Ichiro's head, then he lost. If Ichiro flinched away from the shots, then he lost.

"Anyways, long story short, Kazu was on his fifth or sixth arrow when it missed the trunk completely. And as you might have guessed, Lord Raikou wasn't too happy with their game… he always discouraged these little disputes between them and had often told me before I was banished that I should have stopped them. Of course, I never did because they are way too fun to watch."

But at saying that last sentence, Yoita frowned as he stared over at the two demons who were scanning the water for fish. "Yoita… I never did find out why you were banished from that castle," Yuki told him, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Yoita's eyes squinted with regret and recollection at this , his focus being diverted to the ground. "I began to change…" he explained, "Everyone noticed it. Kazu and Ichiro only tried to ignore it because they were my friends. But one night, Lord Raikou sent a servant to follow me 'home'. That's when everyone knew that I had begun work for Naraku. They feared that I was a spy for him and shunned me. So I stayed away from that place until only the other day when I thought that tempers should have cooled over by then."

"That's not fair!" the two could hear Ichiro cry in the distance. They turned their heads towards the river to see Kazuhiko setting down a fish frozen in a block of ice onto the shore.

"It's plenty fair," Kazuhiko protested, his face as straight and calm as ever, "I am simply using my resources."

"But you know that I can't use mine!" Ichiro yelled, "The only way I could do that would be to poison the water to kill the fish… then the fish would be poisoned and no good to eat!"

"That's not my fault," the other demon replied as his hand darted into the water, getting a tight hold on yet another fish as he formed another ice block around it. Then, to Yuki and Yoita he called, "Will one fish be enough for each of you?"

"One will be fine for me," Yoita replied.

"Me too!" came Yuki's response.

"Oh," Kazuhiko said, in a fake and innocent voice, "It seems like I win this match then, Ichiro."

"You know I let you win… little brother," he replied, adding the loathed title so he could win his own private victory over Kazuhiko.


	37. Chapter ThirtySeven: An Inside Job?

**Dulcet: **Look! I found time to update over vacation... just for you guys!

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**Chapter Thirty-Seven: An Inside Job(?)**

The night had a peaceful calm to it; a sort of serenity that Yuki couldn't help but love. It was a good feeling that she was experiencing as she lied awake with her back to the crackling fire, the only source of sound or light known to her. And even though her eyes were closed, and she didn't exactly know where in the forest that she and her party were in, she felt safe knowing that she had friends nearby to protect her, the two brothers resting with her while Yoita scouted the surrounding area, making sure that no threat snuck up on them.

But soon, this relaxing trance turned into a thick state of fatigue, the weights of weary becoming so heavy that now it would be almost impossible for her to open her eyelids as her breathing began to come in steady and deep intakes and exhales. However, Yuki's eyes instinctively snapped open as she heard the sound of shifting nearby: someone was getting up from the spot in which they rested and beginning to leave the safety of the campsite.

The fight to resist the urge to shift or to glance over at which brother was departing was a strong one for Yuki, but somehow she managed as he could be heard making only the slightest sounds of rustling as he gathered a few things of his and left. But still Yuki did not sit up from her spot. Instead, she waited just as motionless as ever, just to be sure that he had gone and that it was safe for her to investigate.

And so silently she sat up and looked about the site. It seemed so empty now that Ichiro was gone since Kazuhiko had chosen his bed among the branches of tree so that he could remain out of sight until he was needed. But why had he gone out at this time? And why the secrecy? These were the questions that should have been going through her head at the time. But now the only thought that she was thinking was simply the question of whether she should follow or not.

If Yuki did go after him then she would be alone in the forest as Ichiro lead her through parts unknown to a destination that she probably didn't belong at if he was trying so hard to keep the secrecy. But if she didn't follow him, then he would just get off with whatever he was sneaking around doing... and Yuki couldn't let that happen. So, she stealthily arose from her spot and began to make her way out of the area, giving Kazuhiko one glance to make sure that he was still sleeping soundly. His eyes were slackly closed as he hugged his sword in his arms with his back against the trunk of the tree, peacefully sleeping

Or so Yuki thought. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kazuhiko called, his position unchanged though his voice showed perfect consciousness.

And so she froze in her tracks, utterly surprised by the fact that her guard was in fact not sleeping. So, she turned around and walked back to the tree and looked up at him who now had lazily opened his eyes and was now sitting calmly. "Why not?" she questioned, her hands folded innocently behind her back as if she had been doing absolutely nothing wrong.

"This part of the forest isn't for human females to wander on her own," Kazuhiko replied as he finally looked down at her, "Even some foreign demons choose to avoid this place at all costs."

"Why is that?"

But the reply didn't come from Kazuhiko. Instead, the intruding Yoita replied, "Because all temples are located here."

"Yoita!" Kazuhiko scoffed, "What are you doing here? You are supposed to be on guard!"

"Ichiro showed up and volunteered to take up his post," Yoita shrugged as he came closer into the circle, "And I was getting tired, so I gladly let him. It would rude and stupid to not."

"You idiot!" Kazuhiko scolded in a growling voice as he menacingly jumped down from his spot, "Do you think that I would believe that?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Yuki questioned, slightly intimidated by the ice demon's tone.

"Because I know that Ichiro is going to go and meet with Naraku!" Kazuhiko replied, "Yoita knows! He's one of his minions as well!"

"I prefer the term 'reliable employee'," Yoita corrected, "I am not a mindless, loyal follower."

"But Ichiro is!" Kazuhiko growled, "And this only confirms that he's plotting something with Naraku STILL!"

"Or he could be on sentry duty," Yuki put in, not ready to jump at believing Kazuhiko, not only because Ichiro had told her that the demon was one of Naraku's henchmen but also because he was her opposite and now proving to be a potential enemy after all.

"But I know he isn't!" he continued to argue, "I'll show you."

With that, he picked up Yuki and began to whisk her away through the trees, heading to Ichiro's post among the tall trees. Kazuhiko's expression was frustrated and determined to foil his brothers his intentions by revealing his neglectance of duty to Yuki. But why did he want to do that? Ichiro was his brother; his flesh and blood. Why did he want to this?

And then he stopped in his tracks as he looked up into one of the trees. "I don't believe this," he mumbled as he stared, forgetting Yuki in his arms.

"What?" she questioned as he looked as well. And there, standing proudly on the limb of one of the giants was Ichiro, his eyes scanning the area as they stared with focus out into the wilderness.

"You see?" Yuki told him, "I told you that he wasn't doing anything wrong!"

"Well... I suppose..." Kazuhiko began to agree, even though it was obvious that he didn't want to. Then he sighed and began to head back to the camp.

Yoita was still waiting, his hands resting behind his head as he leaned against the base of a tree in front of the fire, his faithful pet Chame not too far off. "Find anything?" Yoita questioned, "Or in your case, I should ask 'nothing'."

"If you are questioning whether he was at his post or not," Kazuhiko said as he gently set Yuki back down, "Then the answer is yes, he was there."

"Told you so," Yoita told him as his friends came closer to sit down around the campfire.

"I'm still not convinced though," Kazuhiko shook his head as he closed his eyes, "I've been on to him for years and his little expeditions have never suggested anything otherwise."

"Why are you so set on getting us to believe that Ichiro works for Naraku?" Yoita interrogated, his eyebrow quirked with suspicion.

"Because I know that could put us in danger," Kazuhiko retorted, sensing the distrust.

"Yeah," Yoita nodded, "Or he could not be in league with Naraku and he could be protecting us from him... which is what you wouldn't want."

"What?" both Kazuhiko and Yuki questioned in unison.

"There is a lackey of Naraku's that I still don't know about to this very day," Yoita replied, "He has been very careful to keep the identity of that person from me throughout the years... and I have very good reason to believe that it's you, Kazu."

"That's insane!" Kazuhiko growled, "You of all people should know that it's Ichiro who is the follower, not I!"

But the human man made no reply to that, but simply averted his eyes to look at the ground in stubborness, his opinion set. And so Kazuhiko turned to his other companion, his eyes pleading. "Lady Yuki... you believe me, right?" he asked, very close to begging.

And it was this near pleading that broke Yuki's heart to shake her head, no. Who should she believe? A man that she was sure that worked for Naraku telling her of his possible co-worker, or a man that she had been already informed of working for Naraku who was now pointing fingers away from him. She just couldn't trust a liar. "I'm sorry," she told him with her head bowed.

At first, Kazuhiko looked entirely taken aback, but instantly recovered his composure as he stood and retreated back to the branch of his tree without another word.


	38. Chapter ThirtyEight: The Temple

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Temple**

Things hadn't yet healed up between Yuki and Kazuhiko. It seemed as if the demon wanted his space away from the girl ever since she had admitted that she suspected him of possibly aiding Naraku. It wasn't hard for her to think this either. Kazuhiko's character was still very unclear to Yuki, now more than ever. She would often catch him looking off into the distance in a trance like state, so serious looking with his eyebrows narrowed in deep concentration on his thoughts. Who knew what was going on in his head?

"Yoita!" Ichiro sighed one day as they continued on, "How much farther is it? I'm becoming impatient!"

"Not much farther," he replied simply.

"Yoita," Yuki addressed as she looked over at him, "How is it that you know where the Fire Temple is when I don't?"

"Oh… a family map," Yoita answered as he returned Yuki's glance, "I come from a line of Miyamota Guardians. It is our job to protect a Miyamota until they have learned to master their element and defend themselves properly."

"I see…" Yuki nodded, "So, I'm guessing that you never went into the business?"

"Right."

"Why not?"

The man stopped in his tracks, his dull brown eyes staring down at the ground as his mouth arched into a frown. "I wasn't strong enough," he answered, "No matter how much I trained, I was only human, unlike a lot of my family."

"But you seem very strong now," Yuki pointed out, trying to comfort his loss, "Why don't you become a Guardian now?"

Then, Yoita looked up at her and attempted a smile, though his eyes seemed as if they were about to start crying in that moment. He didn't, however. Instead he simply answered, "It's too late for me now."

Finally noticing that he had stopped the entire party, Yoita continued on, going to the head of the group and taking the lead so that his back was to everyone. Now, Yuki stood beside Ichiro as Kazuhiko traveled above the others, jumping from tree to tree and keeping an eye out for any oncoming trouble. But now Yuki was curious about Yoita's comments. Of course she didn't ask for any more information from him because it was obviously a sensitive area… so she asked Ichiro instead.

"What does he mean that it's too late for him?" Yuki interrogated in a silent whisper so that Yoita wouldn't hear, "Is there an age limit for Guardians."

"No," Ichiro replied, "In fact, my Guardian was physically well into his forties when I first met him. I'm not sure why it would be too late for our friend… then again… I haven't seen him in ten years so a lot might have happened. But he was closer to Kazu than he was to me. Maybe he knows why."

And so the subject was closed. Yuki would have to wait to talk to Kazuhiko though; he still needed a bit more time to stop his pouting.

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"There it is!" Yoita pointed up a long stone stairway built on the base of a lone mountain, "The Fire Temple."

"Okay then," Yuki smiled, relieved that the journey was almost at its end, "Let's go!"

And so they began on their way, taking each step towards the top that were only interrupted by several platforms. But the party was only halfway up when Yuki began to feel tired and stopped momentarily to look behind her at her progress. For some reason, the staircase had seemed much shorter from the bottom. But Yuki didn't want to show her lack of energy though, so she persisted, not wanting to start whining about it.

Luckily, they managed to reach the Temple, its large doors closed to them. "So is there a doorbell or something?" Yuki questioned, knowing that a simple knock on the door or an intrusion would not suffice.

"Not really," Kazuhiko replied, as he approached the protective wall of the Temple where a half ovular orb was inlaid there, containing a small fire that seemed to be feeding on nothing, "Yuki, come and feed this fire."

"Excuse me?" Yuki asked as went to his side in front of the flicker of flame, "How do I do that?"

"Here," he said as he took Yuki's hand and placed them on the glass, "Give it power."

"Okay, I got that part," she replied, becoming irritated, "But HOW?"

"I don't know how Fire works," Kazuhiko defended, "I am the farthest thing from Fire that there can be… just… try and strengthen it."

At first, Yuk could only stare at Kazuhiko with a knit brow, but then she only turned to the orb containing the fire and tried to configure on how to carry out the orders given to her. So, Yuki delved deep into her heart, trying to transfer some of her nurturing thoughts into the lick of flame. "Hey… you're doing it," Yoita told her, a smile in his voice.

"It's not big enough though," Kazuhiko added, "It's only a simple fire… you have to make it a blaze."

So Yuki nodded in understanding and tried focusing on the flame, nurturing it and strengthening it… but it would not grow beyond that warm flower of red, orange, and yellow. It seemed as if she just couldn't do it… 'Stop concentrating so hard,' a voice in the back of her mind told her, 'Let the power come bursting out of you. Force the fire to take it.'

Yuki wasn't quite sure what this meant though. Force the fire to take power? Let the power come bursting out? What did any of that mean? 'Don't doubt,' the unfamiliar voice tutored her, 'Just do."

And that was exactly what Yuki did. She dug once again into her heart as she began to feel the power that it held within it. There it was… so, she tensed her muscles, preparing herself for the surge of energy she was about to release. Then, she forced it out of her heart, into her arms and to the fire…. It was set into a blazing inferno, luckily only to be contained by the orb.

In surprise at the burst, Yuki jumped back and took her hands off of the glass while the doors to her right slowly began to open by themselves. "For someone who's never had a lesson you got that really quickly…" Ichiro commented, his eyes open with surprise as Kazuhiko and Yoita began to make their way into the Temple.

Giving no response to Ichiro's comment, Yuki followed the other two inside, only to find a long pathway with a middle aged man at the other end, heading towards the group. It was as he came closer to the others that Yuki was able to get a good look at him.

Of course he had the Miyamota purple eyes, his unique characteristic being that they seemed very mature and serious. He wore the robes of a monk in the colors of red and orange. But unlike an normal monk, his head was not shaved. Instead, his hair was rather well kept as he had put it back in a low ponytail that reached his shoulder blades. "I see that you have finally come…" he commented as he looked directly at Yuki, "But why have you brought so many with you?"

"They are my escorts," she explained.

"Escorts?" the man repeated, "Not Guardians?"

"Not exactly…" Yuki replied.

"Well, not anyone can come here," he explained as he looked at the others, "Only other Miyamotas and Guardians."

"Oh, well these two are Miyamotas," Yuki explained gesturing to the brothers, then to Yoita as she explained, "And he comes from a family of Guardians… does that count?"

The monkish man examined each of the boys individually, looking them up and down as he searched for reasons for approval. "The 'Guardian' may stay… the one with the strange eyes can also stay…. But the Ice Miyamota has to leave," he finally told them, "He is not welcome here. He is the enemy."

"But he's not!" Yuki protested suddenly, defending him without thinking, "I think that we get along quite well actually."

"That doesn't matter. We Miyamotas are not allowed to linger in places that we do not belong."

"Then if he cannot remain as a Miyamota, you will surely let him stay as a Guardian, right?"

"What?" Ichiro let slip, surprised at this turn of events.

But Yuki ignored him and turned to Kazuhiko and asked, "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

The ice demon could only stand and stare at Yuki in disbelief of what she was proposing. Then he smiled, signaling Yuki that they were on good terms with each other again. "Of course not," he replied, "I would be honored."

And so Yuki turned to the man and raised her eyebrows in expectation. For a moment, the Fire elder seemed very frustrated with how Yuki was able to find her way around the rules, but he said nothing. Instead, he nodded. "Welcome… all of you," he greeted at last, "My name is Fumio. I will be your instructor."

"My name is Yuki," she returned as she bent into a respectful bow, "This is Kazuhiko, Ichiro, and Yoita."

"Follow me," Fumio ordered as he turned and began to walk back down the gravel pathway, "You have much to learn so I think that you should get settled as soon as possible so that we may begin."


	39. Chapter ThirtyNine: First Day of School

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: First Day of School **

"The first thing you need to know about your Fire is where it comes from," the instructor, Fumio, began as he and Yuk -who had changed into more comfortable clothes suited for training- sat near a small pool in a barren training yard, the other guests not to far off, "For example... Ichiro… where do you draw your Poison abilities from?"

"Huh?" the poison prince said as he heard his name, "Oh… I don't really draw the poison from anywhere. I just concentrate on where I want it to end up."

"And Kazuhiko… what about you?" Fumio questioned, his voice steady and serious.

"If anything, I would have to say that my Ice comes from my stomach," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"And Fire…" Fumio went on, turning back to his pupil, "Comes from the heart." And he put a finger to his left breast, pointing towards his own heart, "That is why our element is considered a Disaster; control over our hearts are not in our nature. The Fire could burst at any moment if we were to be become angry, or frustrated, or even surprised. Fire feeds off of what emotions you feed your heart."

"Then is it our goal to become without emotion?" Yuki questioned, hoping that that wouldn't be the case.

"Of course not," he replied as if it had been a silly question to begin with, "We simply learn how to control the Fire our emotions create. For example, when you are angry, it would be a good idea to focus some of the power you receive from it by doing something that won't harm innocent people."

"Such as…?"

"Forming the Fire on a body part of your own, such as your fists," he explained as he gave an example, raising two clenched fists that became surrounded with fuming Fire, "Your own Fire can't harm you, but I still don't want you trying it to that extent yet. For now, I want to teach you to make a flame. Stand."

So both teacher and pupil arose to their feet. "First, spread your feet apart at a comfortable distance," Fumio instructed as he did the same, facing Yuki. She then obeyed as she copied her master and took a firm and powerful looking stance with her feet spread and her arms lifted a few inches away from her hips with fists curled. "Good," Fumio told her with a nod, "Now dig deeply into your heart, just as you did when you opened the gates. Feel the power building up in your heart…"

Standing there, Yuki did as he said and took a deep breath, the air filling not her lungs, but her heart with power and energy. It pulsated and felt warm in her chest, begging to be let out. "Do you feel it?" Fumio questioned as he and everyone else seemed to watch her. "Yes, Sensei," she replied as stared down at the ground in concentration, holding that energy.

"Very good. Now hold out your hand, palm up," he said. Once again, she did as he commanded. "Now open up channels," Fumio ordered, "Feel the energy leaking out of your heart, swerving up into your shoulder, down your arm and…" Suddenly, a small flame appeared in Yuki's hand, giving her a terrible shock.

Unfortunately, that shock only gave the fire a good burst before immediately extinguishing again. So now, there was a scared Yuki, clutching her arms to her chest as her eyes were set open wide. "Is it going to do that every time?" she questioned as she looked over to Fumio.

"The Fire; hopefully," he replied, "But the burst; hopefully not. I'm sure that you will get over it with time. Let us continue."

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It had seemed to Yuki that the training would last forever. The first few lessons were easy. Making fire was a no-brainer once she knew how it worked. Engulfing body parts like a hand or an entire arm was pretty easy too… but then it became tricky.

Soon Fumio was telling her to do different parts at the same time, which was very tricky because she had t be sending equal amounts of energy to two different places. Setting two arms on fire was hard enough, but to even out the size of the flames was a nightmare! And to top it all of, she had to fully engulf her body in Fire! This guy was asking too much of her!

Then, once Yuki had finally mastered setting her body on fire, she had target practice! Sending the Fire to parts of her body was one thing… but to transfer it without any physical connection?!?! So far, she had set flames to two trees, five bushes, and seven articles of clothing, most of them not belonging to her. She had even caught Yoita's pants on fire once. Luckily he was able to make it to the pond before it burnt through his final layer of clothing.

So, she still hadn't mastered the art of setting things on Fire, but she was confident that she would get it soon, though. In her mind, she was a quick learner… after all, she _had_ gotten this far in one day. But now she simply relaxed on the steps in front of her room, listening to the sounds of the sunset. Crickets were just beginning to chirp, a night bird could be heard in a distant tree, and footsteps were approaching on the deck surrounding the building.

Yuki turned towards the source of the noise to see that Kazuhiko was approaching, his clothes plain and blue since he had changed out of his usual gear. The outfit was courteously provided by the Temple since he as well as the others had not been safe from the inaccuracy of her Fire. And just as the pyromaniac was about to begin to apologize once again, the man put a hand up to stop her. "I already told you that I have forgiven you," he told her as he took a seat at her side, "There was no need to have been dressing in that manner around here anyway. It isn't like any fights are going to break out any time soon. Besides… these are actually quite comfortable."

This made Yuki give a small smile. "Okay… but I'll try not to do it again," she promised.

"I have faith in you," he kidded as he gave her a slight nudge with his shoulder.

Then, Yuki looked over at Kazuhiko as he stared out into the yard in front of them, his countenance having turned to shades of blue from the light of the moon and sky, even the purple in his eyes. It was funny though that even now that his eyes seemed blue, she could recognize them as only belonging to Kazuhiko. But now that she thought about it, even though each true Miyamota's eyes were purple, they had character to them. So she asked, "Kazuhiko… how would you describe my eyes?"

But he simply turned to Yuki, his brow quirked in confusion. "Excuse me?" he questioned, "You want me to describe your eyes? Why?"

"Well, because I don't know what unique trait I have," she replied, "Every Miyamota seems to have a difference in their eyes. For example, your eyes are sharp and calm. Ichiro's eyes change color with his conscious. Fumio shows his wisdom and serious nature in his. And my father..." She trailed off because this was the first time that she had even thought about her father since her last departure for the Feudal Era… what were his eyes like? "His eyes are a mixture of Fumio's eyes and yours," she decided, "Mature and calm."

"The wisdom you see in their eyes comes with age," Kazuhiko explained, nodding, "It's the expression that gives them that look. All Miyamotas earn those eyes some day… wait… your father… Who is he? He's probably alive in this era, right?"

Yuki took this into consideration for a moment and her eyes lit up. "Right!" she confirmed, "He mentioned that he gave me to Naraku so that he wouldn't take his sister away! He must be alive in this time!"

Kazuhiko froze as he gazed over at Yuki, his face surprised and scared. "Is something wrong?" Yuki asked him, wondering if she had said anything wrong. But he was able to jerk himself out of the trance and shake his head no. "Nothing," he answered, "I just can't believe that he did that."

"It's not binding, is it?" Yuki inquired, thinking that it might interfere with her and Sesshomaru.

"No," he replied, "Naraku is not technically a noble. He is just considered a very powerful demon, so you are not bound by law to fulfill the agreement… it just wouldn't be wise not to. Naraku is not one to be trifled with."

"I know…" Yuki agreed as she stared at Kazuhiko, his face trying desperately to hide the secret that he had been harboring. He knew something about her father…


	40. Chapter Forty: Happy Birthday

**Dulcet: **You will have to excuse the delayed update! I was going to day camp all week! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! bows

**Chapter Forty: Happy Birthday**

After a while, the days seemed to blend into the next at the Temple. Each one usually seemed as if it had already happened before, probably because there were only two types of days there. One sort was the kind where Yuki seemed to be doing very well with her progress and earned a hint of a smile from her sensei. Another sort of day would be when Fumio would lose his temper with Yuki after setting something or someone on fire once again. Then he would force her to go back to the basics and wouldn't let her progress in her lessons until she repeated everything she had already learned perfectly at least ten times in a row.

It had become a terrible bother, but today was different. Today, she was allowed a rest and to skip her daily rituals so that she could laze about. "Why is it that you get to lounge about today anyways?" Yoita called over from his spot on the deck where he was washing the floor, doing Yuki's job.

"I don't know," Yuki replied. But then she thought to herself on the reason why Fumio had allowed this… it was late summer… "Hey guys?" she called as she lied out in the grass under the warm sun, bare arms resting over her eyes as they stuck out from the short sleeves of her casual wear, "What's the date today?"

"August 25, if memory serves me," Kazuhiko replied as he rested in the shade of the branches of a nearby tree, his arms holding his sword near to him.

"My birthday…" Yuki muttered under her breath, thinking that no one could hear her, "My eighteenth birthday."

"Woah!" Ichiro cried, as he looked over at Yuki from his up-side-down position as he walked on his hands, "I didn't know that today was your birthday… we should be celebrating!"

"Your birthday?" the other two men repeated as they also threw glances over towards their female companion.

Yuki cringed now that the others knew what today was. She didn't like anyone to know about this annual event. They always did things that she didn't feel were needed, like giving her things that she didn't want. "Yeah," Yuki confirmed as she rolled over onto her side, "What of it?"

"If we had known, we would have done more planning!" Yoita commented, "I think that I will go out right now and get you something!"

"That's not necessary," Yuki protested as she sat up to look over at the man who now sat up on his knees, "Really. I don't need anything."

"I know, but I want to get you something anyways," he responded, making as if to arise to his feet.

However, he was interrupted by Ichiro, who was now righting himself to his own feet. "Not so fast," he told Yoita, "You have to finish Yuki's chore first. If you don't, Fumio Sensei will blow up, like last time… then you'll have to clean up the charred ashes of whatever area he burns in the process."

"Hey… why aren't _**you**_ guys working?" Yoita asked as he got back to scrubbing, "Fumio Sensei gave you a share of work too, didn't he?"

"I've already finished mine," Kazuhiko answered as he shut his eyes in relaxation, "They were simple tasks for someone of my state."

"And since I'm the eldest son of a powerful lord, I've decided that I'm allowed to put mine off until later," Ichiro added as he began to stretch his muscles, as if preparing himself for physical activity.

At that moment, Yoita seemed to move his lips and mumble something, but he was too far off for Yuki to hear the message

Unlike Yuki's average ears though, Ichiro's hearing seemed to pick up the words loud and clear and began to yell at his friend like a child would. "Hey, what do you mean 'lazy'?" he demanded, as he pounded his foot on the ground, "I do just as much work to help Miss Yuki as you do!"

"Well why don't you just keep helping her and do some of her work that Fumio Sensei assigned you?" Yoita retorted.

"Because I'm going to let it slide for now," Yuki called back as she stretched her arms in her upright pose, "But you have to have them done before sundown, okay? The same goes for you too, Yoita."

"Got it!" Ichiro replied.

"Thanks," the other man responded, continuing to work, "I'm just gonna get it over with anyways."

"Good choice," Fumio's voice sounded as the man rounded the corner.

The teacher's arms were folded into his casual clothes, an orange ensemble that he seemed to be wearing more often than his robes that Yuki had first seen him in. "Yuki," he greeted with a small bow of his head, "I was going to wait until later to give this to you, but I thought that it would be a good idea to let the others know what they were competing with before they went out and got you your birthday gift."

The older man then pulled a sword from his belt and held it out in front of Yuki as she shifted so that she was on her knees and in a proper position for this event. Fumio then lowered himself to his own knees as Yoita and Ichiro came over to get a better look. "It is the Miyamota Fire Sword; Yokami," he explained as Yuki accepted it with eyes filled with awe, "A Miyamota becomes able to use their item precisely at the age of eighteen because their powers have finally developed well enough within them."

"But I've only been training for a few months," Yuki said as her gaze averted from the blade's sheathe to her master, "Other Miyamotas must train for a good few years before earning their sword."

"It's not about training, but the amount of power that they have collected through their life," Fumio corrected, "Each year from the time that their powers begin to develop, a Miyamota's abilities and capabilities grow, whether they train or not. So, come tomorrow, you will be practicing even more advanced skills."

"Sensei!" Yuki protested as she rested the sword on her lap, "I've barely been able to handle the things that you are teaching me now!"

"I have faith," he nodded in that grim way of his as he arose from his sitting stance and began to walk away.

Yoita gave an elongated whistle of impress. "Wow… a Miyamota Sword is a pretty tough thing to beat as a present…" he commented.

"Miss Yuki has gotten her Sword!" Ichiro cried in a mocking voice of glee, "She's all grown up!"

"Hold it!" Yuki said as she set the weapon down at her side, "I don't even know how to use a regular sword, much less a special one like this… by the way, what's so special about it?"

"You can fuse your Fire with the Yokami," Kazuhiro explained as he adjusted his own katana and finally descended from the cover of the tree, "There are five different sorts of unique Miyamota tools. You and I both have the two swords. Each pair of opposites have an item that goes along with their element. The Sword is one kind. The other four are those of shields, rings, amulets, and bows and arrows."

"The youngest Wind Miyamota and I both have wield arrows," Ichiro added, "Water and Earth bear amulets, Darkness and Light carry shields, and Health and Death posses rings."

But then, Kazuhiko began to walk away from the group. "Where do you think you're going?" Yoita questioned.

"To get retrieve a birthday gift for Lady Yuki," he replied, "Would anyone like to come?"

"Wait for me!" Yoita and Ichiro called in unison as the began to dash after the demon. Then Yoita looked back and called, "We'll be back soon! This shouldn't take long!"

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The party returned that night with tokens of appreciation to give their friend. First was Ichiro. "Happy Birthday!" he told her as he handed her an onyx ring, "This will protect you and always assure that no harm will come to you. Of course the legend says that once it works its magic then it disappears, so I probably shouldn't be saying 'always'."

Smiling, Yuki fit it onto her right index finger and examined how it looked. It was a wonderful gift! "I love it," she answered, "Thank you very much, Ichiro."

Next went Kazuhiko. Silently he handed her a round mirror, framed with dark and aged metalwork in the shape of entangled twigs; smooth metallic leaves peeked out from these twigs. Yuki examined the object, but did not look into its reflective surface. "This mirror has a spell put on it," Kazuhko explained, "Whomever it reflects, it shows their darkest secret instead of their reflection. The trick is that its ability can be easily avoided if the person is conscious of their image being reflected in it, so you will have to be sly with it."

"Wow…" Yuki commented as she finally looked into it, "This is a fantastic present! Thank you!"

"My turn!" Yoita cried as he pulled Yuki by the hand out of the room in which they were having dinner.

"Yoita!" called Yuki as she was being pulled along, "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see!"

The crafty human lead Yuki across the Temple grounds to the front gate where he stopped. "Open the gates," he told her with his eyes twinkling with joy, "You're going to love this!"

The birthday girl needed no further encouragement to do as Yoita said. So as she put her hands to the nearby fire that was encased in the glass on the wall and enhanced it, causing the doors to begin to open. Just then, the other two caught up so that they too could see Yuki's reaction. "It's from all of us," Ichiro reminded, only to get an elbow in the ribs from his brother as a signal to be modest.

The doors slowly parted, giving a sight to the outside and to her present. Standing there on the other side was no one else but Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru!" Yuki yelped as she ran forward to him, her face beaming, "My dearest Sesshomaru! I've missed you so much!"

"And I in return have felt the same," Sesshomaru replied as he picked her up and spun around before lightly setting her down again and pulling her into an embrace, "I have been waiting for the moment when we were reunited."

"Aww…" Ichiro comment in false awe, "How sweet. Well, we'll just leave you two love birds alone!"

Neither of the "love birds" seemed to even notice the others as they walked away. Having been so recently brought back together they only wanted to hold and cherish each other for a few minutes more. Sesshomaru then kissed Yuki briefly and told her, "Happy Birthday."

Yuki smiled up at her beloved and sighed. "This is the best birthday I have ever had."

And with those words, a roguish smirk appeared on his lips as he gently grabbed Yuki's chin and once again planted a tender kiss on her mouth. "I can tell you that it is about to get a lot better," he told her, "Now where is your bedroom?"


	41. Chapter FortyOne: The End Is Near

**Chapter Forty-One: The End Is Near**

Slowly Yuki was awoken by the feeling of a hand running up and down her bare back, leaving chills on her warm skin. That's when she slowly opened her eyes to the morning light that shown behind her rice paper door and tilted her head to look up at Sesshomaru, who she later noticed was still naked under the blankets that covered the two. "Good morning," Yuki smiled as she rested her head once again on her lover's chest, able to feel his strong and steady heartbeat.

"Good morning," Sesshomaru returned as he wrapped his arms around Yuki and established a firm and loving grip, "Did you sleep well?"

"Very," she answered as she snuggled into Sesshomaru's muscular form, "And you?"

"Amazingly, I slept very well," he replied, "I've been having trouble sleeping lately."

"I'm sure you just needed someone to help wear you out a bit," Yuki chided before kissing at his heartbeat.

The man only chuckled before lowering his head so that it was resting on top of Yuki's. "No," he corrected gently, "I've missed you." Then Sesshomaru smoothly pulled Yuki's body up higher so that his lips now rested on her shoulder, lightly kissing the spot where he had marked her months ago. As he then pulled away, he began to gently stroke Yuki's now smooth skin. "I love to see my mark there," he commented before giving it one last kiss and resting his head back so that he was staring up into Yuki's face.

"That's odd," Yuki commented as she sat up, feeling at the spot, "There's no scar tissue or anything. Is it faint?"

Sesshomaru shook his head and reached over towards a nearby table and picked up the mirror that Kazuhiko had gifted Yuki. He then held it so that she could see the arch of her neck and the mark. The strange thing was that it wasn't the sort of scar that she had thought it would be. There weren't two dots of healed skin like she thought there would be.

Instead, in its place was a blue crescent moon directly on the arch of her neck and shoulder, two short stripes on either side of it lined her shoulder and part of her neck. "You will have to be careful about it," Sesshomaru pointed out as Yuki examined the newly discovered marking, "So much as a slip of a collar and a weary eye could give us away."

Touching her hand to her symbol Yuki nodded in understanding. She then took the mirror from Sesshomaru's hands and set it back down on the table. Afterwards she leaned down to him, and planted one last kiss on his lips before getting out of the bed to dress herself. "I have to get ready to go train," she explained as she searched for her white training outfit.

"I'm going to have to leave in two days," Sesshomaru admitted to her as he propped himself up onto his arm, "The council only allowed me to remain here for three days total. Today will be the first, tomorrow the second, the day after the last."

It was when Yuki was pulling on a shirt that she looked over to Sesshomaru, her eyebrows furrowed with concern. "That soon?" she asked, "But that's not a long enough visit. I want more than a few days with you. Besides, I'll be spending most of my day training."

"I know it's not exactly what we want, but we'll have to make due," Sesshomaru replied as he reached over to where his pants had been discarded and began to pull them back on, "If you will let me I would like to sit in on your lessons." He got to his feet and began to cross the floor towards Yuki, snaking his arms around her waist as he continued, "Then, once the sun begins to set I can have you to myself."

"Sounds good," Yuki responded as Sesshomaru put his lips to her forehead, "But you better hurry up and get dressed. Fumio Sensei does not like to be kept waiting."

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"Absolutely not!" Fumio replied once he found out that Sesshomaru wanted to sit in on the lesson, "I am keen your relationship with Lord Sesshomaru and I do not want it to interfere with your learning."

"But you let the others sit around while I train!" Yuki argued, "Why should he be any different?"

"Because he is your fiancé and could easily distract you."

"How's this, if you let him stay, then I'll try twice as hard that I usually do."

"You know, you really should be giving your all 100 of the time…" Fumio pointed out, none to happy about the comment, "And don't argue with me! I am your teacher!"

Sighing and bowing her head in obedient defeat Yuki nodded. "Yes, sensei," she responded.

Then, Fumio looked from Sesshomaru, who stood a few feet away, to Yuki who remained with her head bowed. "Only for today," he told her, "But for the rest of his visit he has to find business elsewhere."

"Thank you, Fumio Sensei!" Yuki cried as she bowed her head in thanks. At this, Sesshomaru took his place beneath the tree in which Kazuhiko always and currently sat.

"Today, you will learn how to use Yokami," Fumio announced as he stood before his seated student, his hands folded behind his back, "Now, I don't expect you to be able to use it properly right away…" And thus began another day's lesson consisting on setting things that she wasn't supposed to on fire. But of course the long and chronic training session finally ended, not leaving Yuki any energy to 'help Sesshomaru fall asleep' but enough for her to be able to sit and watch the sunset with him, followed by staring up at the stars and catching up on what had been happening back at the castle.

"Everything has basically died down," Sesshomaru explained as he laid next to Yuki in the grass, "Things will probably remain as they are until you return and cause another up stir."

"When will I be able to come back again?" Yuki questioned, "I've lost track."

"Your time here will end one week and three days," Sesshomaru replied, "Then you and the others may return."

"Oh God… I can't wait to get out of here!" Yuki cried as she realized that there was no time at all left until she could depart from that place.


	42. Chapter FortyTwo: The Last Night

**Chapter Forty-Two: The Last Night**

And so it had come down to the last meal that Yuki would share with her friends, so to speak. It had always seemed so odd to Yuki that it was only Fumio and herself who ever touched their food. The men simply sat in with them, sharing conversation. Yuki had actually asked once why they didn't eat. "We are demons, Lady Yuki," Kazuhiko had replied.

"We don't require food as often as humans do," Ichiro broadened, "We just partake in it from time to time."

It was as Yuki was recalling this time that she turned to Yoita, taking note that he never ate either, even though he had said himself once that he was indeed fully human. Of course he needed to eat, right? "Yoita?" she called in a questioning voice, "Why don't you have anything? I'm sure that the cook worked especially hard on it for our last meal here."

The man seemed to be in an almost haze as he turned look over at Yuki, a raising of his eyebrows instantly bringing him back to life. "Huh?" he questioned, "I'm sorry. Were you saying something?"

"She was asking about why you do not eat at meals," Kazuhiko repeated, taking a sip of the tea that he drank.

"Oh!" he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously, probably out of embarrassment of being caught off guard, "I'm just not hungry."

"I would expect that after seeing you entering the kitchen so many times during the day; sneaking snacks and bothering my cook."

"Hey! If anything Kazu is the one who bothers her!" Yoita defended, even though his hands flew to his mouth immediately afterwards.

And unfortunately, the two demonic siblings were just taking a drink of their beverages, thus causing the reaction of both of the brothers beginning to choke on their drinks. But Ichiro was the first to recover, his laughter ringer out as he held his sides. "I knew it!" he gasped between breaths, "You were always one to go for a girl with pretty eyes."

"Shut… up," Kazuhiko managed to get within coughs, "Hitomi is a… nice girl."

"Oh, so Kazuhiko likes Hitomi, the cook?" Yuki squealed at the juicy gossip, "How sweet!"

"Yoita, you back-stabber!" Kazuhiko cried as he got up and began to chase the poor man right out of the room, "You swore not to ever even mention it! I'm going to kill you, you…" But the line of insults and names drifted off into the night as Yoita desperately ran for his life.

"Should we be worried?" Yuki asked as she tried to peak out of the door through which the two men had disappeared.

"I wouldn't think so," Fumio answered, "That demon couldn't hurt Yoita even if he really wanted to."

"Please forgive me Kazu!" Yoita's voice sounded as the two rounded the building again, their forms dashing by and visible through the door for an instant.

"You always do this!" Kazuhiko yelled, ignoring his friend's pleas, "From now on, I'm not telling you anything!" And once again the angry shouts and desperate apologies faded.

"Is it me, or is Kazuhiko's temper been a little off lately?" Yuki commented as she looked at the remaining two friends, "I mean, aren't Ice Miyamotas supposed to be mild mannered and emotionless?"

"I've noticed that too," Ichiro nodded with a playful smile, "He's been getting soft for some reason. For years now he's been cold and shut up and on high security; no one could ever read into him or get him to open up. The sudden conversion probably has something to do with Yoita's return."

"Why?" Yuki questioned.

"Okay, here's the story," Ichiro began, "Way, way, back, about ten or twenty years ago, we were all buddies. Then, one day our father discovered that he was in league with Naraku."

"Oh yeah," Yuki said in recollection, "Yoita told me a little bit about that on our way here."

"Right," Ichiro acknowledged before continuing on, "Anyways, losing his best friend, Kazuhiko was stuck with me to spend time with. However, for some reason we couldn't do anything together for five minutes without getting into fight. It was strange… but gradually we grew apart and Kazuhiko became very distant. Now, he had shown signs of his element before Yoita had left; he was usually quiet and always spoke with wisdom and maturity. He had been proud and had a rather large ego, which I hear all Ice Miyamotas have.

"But in truth, a Miyamotas element does not make the personality. It only shapes it. For example, Fire Miyamotas are supposed to think themselves all-powerful and invincible with very strong emotions."

"But I don't really think all of that's true," Yuki argued, "_I_ don't think that I'm that powerful…"

"You should," Fumio interrupted, "I know that this isn't the perfect time to tell you, but I think that this would be my last chance. Yuki, you are a Fire prodigy. I don't think that I was able to master what you have done in these last few months until I had been training for more than a year or two."

"Maybe you were just really bad at it," Ichiro suggested with a roll of his eyes.

"Watch it Poison Breath," Fumio retorted with a glare.

"Anyway…" Ichiro said, "Where was I…? Oh yeah… I was just about to sum everything up. So now that Yoita has returned, Kazu is beginning to open up again. I think I actually saw him smile the other day. The next thing we know, he's going to be chuckling like he used to!"

"Ichiro…" Yuki began, "A minute ago you said that all of this happened ten or twenty years ago… isn't that a little long? I mean, Yoita seems like he's in his late twenties so he would have either been a child or a teenager when you last met. I'm surprised that you even recognized him when you first saw him… after all he must have changed a bit these past years."

"Actually, now that I think about it…" Ichiro began, "He hasn't aged a day."

"That's impossible," Yuki went on, "He should be aging at normal pace."

"Is it that impossible?" Fumio asked, "After all, this is a world of demons and spells. Anything could have happened in the time allotted. Just think…. How could a human keep up with and even outrun a demon like Kazuhiko for this long?"

And speak of the devils, the two darted passed again. "Get back here you dirt crawling, slime eating maggot!" Kazuhiko shouted. They were still going strong.

Suddenly, there was a loud thumping noise outside then the sound of a struggle. Ichiro and Yuki both jumped up from their seats and went outside to find that Kazuhiko was now sitting on a struggling Yoita. "Say it or I swear I will kill you this time," threatened Kazuhiko as he looked down at his friend who was lying on his stomach. "Even if you killed me, you know that it would have been a waste of time!" Yoita retorted, his breathing becoming drawn out.

"But it would help me feel a hell of a lot better you little-"

"Please! Not in front of Miss Yuki!" Yoita protested.

That was when Kazuhiko's eyebrows shot up and his eyes darted over to the girl, making him instantly check himself and stand up, his usual front put back up. "Excuse me, Lady Yuki," he apologized, "I let my anger run away with me."

"I don't think that I'm the one that you should be apologizing to," Yuki corrected, glancing down at Yoita who was now raising himself into a sitting position.

"Of course," he nodded, then turned to Yoita and opened his mouth to begin talking. Alas, he was not able to give his admission of guilt for Yoita put his hand up to stop him. "It's okay," he smiled, "What else are friends for? Besides… I don't even remember what I did in the first place…"

This caused Kazuhiko to tilt his head slightly and raise an eyebrow. But he ended up smiling… then chuckling… then giving a light-hearted laugh. "Hitomi, Yoita," Kazuhiko reminded him, "You let out the news." The entire general scene caused Yuki herself to tilt her head askew in confusion. _'Men…'_ she thought, _'It's so typical of them. They fight, throw a few punches, the go and have a drink.'_

"I think I'll go to bed now," Yoita commented as he got up and stretched, "That last session really wore me out."

"Night, Yoita," Yuki called as he walked away. But she was simply answered with a lazy lift of his hand in an attempt to wave goodbye.


	43. Chapter FortyThree:Detour

**Chapter Forty-Three: Detour**

Finally summer had ended at long last! Yuki was finally on the road once again with her friends as they made their way through the forest of trees, their leaves already showing signs of change. "I love this time of year," Yoita commented as he looked around in wonder, "The next thing you know, the trees will be with yellow, orange, and red."

"I hope that when you say 'yellow, orange, and red' that you mean the leaves not involving an accident of Miss Yuki's," Ichiro teased.

"Hey!" Yuki called, "I don't set things on fire so often anymore! Give me some credit, will ya?"

Yoita gave a chuckle at the joke. Neither of the demons laughed though. Ichiro was especially serious. "No, but seriously…" he went on, "That is what comes to mind when I see those colors in the trees… I think of fire. Flames set to the forest, buildings, and other structures… No matter how bright it is outside, during autumn I can't help but to think of that night… do you remember, brother?"

Both Yuki and Yoita stopped at the sudden change of mood throughout the group. The other two had stopped seconds before. So looking back at the others, Yuki examined their faces. The older demon was surprisingly calm and indifferent about the depressing subject while his sibling only seemed to glare, as if trying to stop any other emotions from coming forth.

At first, Yuki believed that Kazuhiko was this upset because once again Ichiro had called him by 'brother'. But then again, now that she thought about it, this was highly unlikely. Kazuhiko only minded when the word 'little' came before it… then why was he upset?

"You are perfectly aware that I could not easily forget," he replied, the anger that was on his face not even hinting in his voice, "I remember every detail just as you do."

"Guys?" Yuki called, "Let's stop this and keep going, hm?"

In that moment, Yoita let out cringe of pain as he put his hand to his forehead momentarily before removing it again, the pain having had passed. "Yoita…" Yuki said as she went to him, "Yoita, are you alright?"

The man nodded in response, "It was just a surge. I'm fine. Unfortunately, though, I have to leave you all now. Kazuhiko… Ichiro… can I trust you not to kill each other?"

"Probably not," Kazuhiko answered with his regained composure, "One can never tell what his twisted little mind is going to do next."

"That was low," Ichiro pouted, "We both know that my mind is far from little."

"Anyways," Yoita cut in, "I am going to be leaving the map with Ichiro since he's the oldest."

With that, Yoita pulled out the folded up map and handed it to Ichiro before turning to everyone else. Then he gave a smile before performing a casual salute. "See ya soon," he said before seeming to disappear.

"Okay…" Ichiro said, wasting no time, "Let's get move on."

So the party progressed in silence, the negativity from earlier still hanging thickly in the air and Yuki couldn't help but be curious as she looked from one brother to the next. What had happened? The curiosity was absolutely killing Yuki! But like always, she somehow managed to let it smolder beneath the surface.

Seconds seemed like hours… hours like days… days like…wait. There were no days. It was only an hour or so before Kazuhiko spoke up questioned Ichiro, "Where are you taking us?"

"Back to the castle, of course," Ichiro replied, not even so much as glancing over at Kazuhiko.

"I don't remember coming this way last time," Kazuhiko added on as he looked around, "And you haven't so much as glanced at the map for hours… Ichiro…. Where are you taking us?"

"Relax," Ichiro insisted, "I know exactly where I'm going."

"Ichiro, look at me," the younger brother commanded, "Look at me and tell me that you are taking us home."

And so Ichiro obeyed, looking over at Kazuhiko, allowing Yuki to see his crazed profile with one of the most malicious smiles that Yuki had ever seen on his face. "I told you," he replied, the red dominating his eyes completely, "We're going to the castle."

"Ichiro!" Kazuhiko cried as he took a step between his brother and Yuki while placing a hand on the hilt of his sword, "What is wrong with you?"

"Wrong?" he repeated in a demonic voice that seemed to be fused with his own, "There is nothing wrong… I'm taking you back to the castle… my master's castle. So you can just relax."

With these words, Ichiro raised an upturned palm in front of his mouth and blew, a thick light blue and sparkled smoke screen escaping with his exhale, quickly enveloping Kazuhiko and Yuki both in its trap. "Relax, little brother, and sleep," that strange voice sounded, "Don't worry, either of you. All will be revealed in good time."

It was as Yuki was inhaling the smoke screen that she realized that she was not choking on it, but that it caused her to breathe even deeper, taking more in as it pushed drowsiness upon her. Her eyelids grew heavy almost instantly and her legs collapsed as her mind and body seemed to disconnect. She could still hear Ichiro though, laughing as he made his way safely through his own poison, first collecting the limp form of his brother over his shoulder before throwing the lifeless body of herself over the other. But Yuki experienced no more for that was when she finally drifted into a commanded slumber.


	44. Chapter44: Out of Dark and Into the Lair

**Chapter Forty-Four: Out of Darkness and Into the Lair**

It seemed like it was nighttime when Yuki awoke next. A violent ache was pounding in her head then, no doubt a side effect from the poison she had inhaled. But the pain was throbbing so badly that Yuki couldn't even see clearly. Everything was a big dark blue as she looked around, hearing faint murmurs. A voice was calling her…. "Lady Yuki…. Lady Yuki, are you alright? Lady Yuki!"

Only one person would ever call her that. "Kazu… hiko?" she answered in a weak and confused tone as she slowly began to come back into the waking world. "You're finally awake!" he sighed, "You've been out for more than a day now."

Now as Yuki gradually began to regain her physical feeling, she realized that her arms were chained on either side of her, the chains only three feet long as and attached to the wall, allowing her to lay down as she did. Then she looked to her right to see Kazuhiko in a similar state. "Where are we?" Yuki questioned as she began to look around, finding that they had been placed in a small room.

"Where else?" Kazuhiko replied, "Ichiro has taken us to Naraku's castle and we are now waiting for whatever is to come next."

"How long have we been here?" Yuki questioned as she began to come into a sitting position, holding her groggy head as she did so.

"About a day or two," Kazuhiko replied as he sat with his arms resting on his propped up legs, "I was beginning to worry if you'd ever wake up."

"It was almost like I was actually sleeping though…" Yuki commented, "I mean… I wasn't knocked out or anything…. I actually dreamt."

The ice demon looked over at the other Miyamota with a raised brow. "What about?" he asked.

"I don't know…" Yuki replied, "Alls I know is that I haven't dreamed in a long time. I'm sure that it will reappear if it is truly important."

"Or maybe it was another side effect of the gas," Kazuhiko suggested

"Maybe…" Yuki agreed as she looked around the room as only one thought crossed her mind, "Kazuhiko… have you even tried escaping yet?"

"Well, at first I had wanted to wait for you…" he began, "But during the last couple of minutes I have come to realize that escape is impossible."

"How so?" Yuki interrogated.

"My first idea was to chill the chains to the point of being able to break them…" he began, "But then I realized that a sutra has been painted on my stomach, disabling any chance of using my powers. Then I thought of breaking the chains with sheer strength… that's when I realized that there would be no point. Even if I did break them, there are bound to be guards of some sort outside."

"I can't believe you!" Yuki retorted, stirring confusion into Kazuhiko's face at her outbreak, "A few guards shouldn't be a problem for us!"

"You seem very confidant," he replied, "Especially since you are a female human Miyamota fresh from training who is currently begging to go and fight when you yourself are unarmed."

"I see your point," Yuki replied as she instantly changed her opinion.

Suddenly though, Kazuhiko gave a cry of agony and doubled over, drawing himself into the fetal position as he fell over onto the floor. "Kazuhiko!" Yuki cried, trying to reach him, though her chains restrained her from doing so.

That was when the door nearby clicked as a lock was undone and the door slid open. And there stood the silhouette of no one else but the treacherous Ichiro. "It's about time that poison kicked in," he announced as he crossed the room to the cringing man, totally ignoring Yuki for a few moments, "I was getting nervous that you would wise up and actually try to leave before it kicked in. This way you can't get away from us."

As Ichiro crouched down and turned his brother's head towards him, Yuki noticed that, like earlier, his eyes were completely red. Not a trace of Miyamota purple anywhere. "You… bastard…" Kazuhiko got out, "How…."

"… Could I?" Ichiro finished for him, "I did it, didn't I? It was simple. I thought that even you would be able to understand. While you were knocked out, I simply snuck in and introduced one of my poisons into your blood stream. If left untreated, you will be dead within two hours.

"Luckily for you, I can't let you die quite yet so I will have to give you a mild antidote to delay the final effect a bit longer. However, this type of toxin causes a disease that will reproduce the effects of the poison even after it has been removed. Don't worry though, little brother. The sickness, too, is curable. But we will get to all of that later, dear brother. Now I am simply here to fetch Miss Yuki."

And so Ichiro rose and went to Yuki, pulling her up off of the floor as she gawked over at her Guardian, writhing in pain. "This symptom is only temporary," Ichiro assured her as he placed shackles over her wrists then began to undo the first set of chains, "This pain will continue until he becomes completely numb to it. By then he will be almost drained of all of his energy."

"Ichiro… why are you doing this?" Yuki questioned as she turned back to one of her captors, "Naraku is the enemy."

"Naraku is no enemy of mine," Ichiro corrected, "I decided that long ago. It is as they say, 'If you can't beat them, join them.'"

"So you decided to join his side and betray your entire world so that you wouldn't die protecting it?" Yuki retorted as Ichiro began to lead her out of the room.

But the poison demon turn on her, a rage in his eyes. "Don't you dare speak to me like that, Miss Miyamota," he threatened, "The entire aristocracy can be damned for all I care! They have done nothing for me! This betrayal is not based off of cowardice or unfaithfulness. This betrayal is fueled by revenge."

"Revenge?" Yuki questioned as Ichiro continued to yank her along.

"They denied me everything," he explained, taking a deep breath as he returned to his casual and evil self, "My throne… my title… my very birthright. I have been forbidden to receive them because of what I am: a Disaster."

"Ichiro…" Yuki whispered. There was a moment when he was talking that she actually wanted to pity him, but she found that she couldn't. How could you pity a man that you couldn't forgive? But finally he stopped at a door and knocked. "Master Naraku…" he called, "She is awake and with me now."

"Come in…" Naraku's muffled voice replied, allowing entry for Ichiro and Yuki into the monster's lair.


	45. Chapter FortyFive: Evil Intentions

**Disclaimer: **Although I do own the masses of OC's that I have created, I do NOT own any of the original characters of Inu Yasha.

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**Chapter Forty-Five: Evil Intentions **

It turns out that the door did not lead to a door at all. Instead, behind it was a rather small courtyard, only about twenty feet in width, occupying a small variety of plants and three chained, miserable animals. These creatures consisting of a koi fish, a caged falcon, a chained arctic wolf, and a collared raven. The main centerpiece was a willow, its vines barely reaching low enough to touch a standing man's shoulders. Another prominent feature of the area was a small pond, right next to the willow, occupying a single white koi. And crouching next to the pond watching this fish was Naraku, not paying any mind Ichiro or Yuki. So, the two new arrivals simply stood there in the silence, waiting for Naraku to do or say something.

But a quite a few more moments passed before the demon finally moved, dipping his hand into the water and chasing around the fish, cornering it and blocking it as it frantically tried to escape the foreigner's touch. That was when Yuki noticed something strange about the other animals; they were all staring at the new arrival. All except for the koi, of course, since it was currently running around and dodging the hand like its life depended on it.

Finally, Naraku withdrew his hand and began to shake the excess water from it, finally turning to Yuki as he stood up straight. "Go and retrieve your brother, Ichiro," Naraku commanded laconically.

And so Ichiro bowed his head, turned on his heal and left, leaving the other two alone. A couple of more moments of silence passed as Yuki and Naraku partook in a stare down, neither taking their eyes away from the other. Once again, Naraku was the first to break it by saying, "I am sure that you are curious to why you have been brought here."

And for once, Yuki realized that she hadn't been thinking at all. On her way there, she had only assumed Naraku intentions, but seeing the setting it was safe to assume that they were not the same as their last meeting. However, she said nothing. "There is a little-known legend…" he began, "You are aware that the a select few Miyamotas have been gifted with the goods and evils of the world, correct?"

Once again, Yuki used nothing as a reply. "Well, since the powers of the Miyamotas originated from a single host, it is believed that they can be collected and reunited under the control of a single person once again."

Suddenly, Yuki became very alert and cautious. This couldn't end well. "This entire courtyard, you see, is comprised of Miyamotas," he explained, going over to a caged bird sticking his hand through the bars, stroking the spiritually defeated creature. But it was with one glance that Yuki knew it to be true. The small bird of prey had an unnatural eye color of purple, as did the other animals. "The very flowers are, or were, Miyamotas," Naraku continued as he caressed the petals of one of the flowers that climbed along the cages, chains, and other structures in the garden, "I have recently acquired a way to turn empowered humans such as yourself into forms such as these. But luckily for you, I will not yet be transforming you. I will be merciful enough and spare you until you feel you are prepared and willing to change. So… do you have any questions before we get this over with?"

Yuki was speechless. But there were actually a few questions that she wanted to ask. "Why are you doing this?" she interrogated.

"Power," replied Naraku indifferently, "Once a single form can take on these abilities, no one on earth will be strong enough to stop them. So, world domination will be a simple feat in a matter of years."

"You're a fiend, Naraku," Yuki told him, shaking her head.

The demon only laughed though. "That may be," he replied, "But I feel no shame occupying the title. Is that all?"

"I still have a few more questions," Yuki protested, "Why do you transform the Miyamotas in the first place?"

"Simply so that they will not struggle or rebel," he answered, "Your kind is a very powerful clan and once gathered in large groups like this, they could become a problem. So, I only change them once their restraining spells begin to wear off. This way, they cannot present a problem until it is time."

"And what will happen when it's 'time'?" Yuki asked, a little hesitant to find out, "Well, since a Miyamota's power can only be passed on along with their soul, I will release all your family's souls from their bodies. In other words… I will have to kill you all."

"But how can you be assured that the powers will go to you and no one else?" asked Yuki, becoming very assertive with her interrogation, "A spirit is not something that can be controlled and manipulated."

"I am well aware of that," Naraku responded, "But it will not be I who will be taking on these abilities. A Miyamota's soul can only be inherited by another Miyamota."

"Get to the point!" Yuki interrupted, the suspense of his explanation becoming close to the point of annoying.

"I think I should show you instead," Naraku replied, not taking any mind to Yuki's reaction. With that, he puckered his lips and blew, sending out a very long and low whistle, the sound seeming to resonate throughout the entire castle. And within moments, Yuki could hear the door open behind her. "You called upon me, my lord?" a woman's voice sounded.

With that, Yuki spun around in reorganization of the voice, disbelief dominating her features. Behind her, bowing her head in obedience, was no one else other than Gaitsuko. "Yes," Naraku nodded as the woman began to cross the clearing to go towards her lord and master, "I thought that you might want to see Yuki again."

As Gaitsuko reached Naraku, he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her closely to him. "Yuki…" she smiled in her malicious manner, "So good to see you again."

"Gaitsuko, you…" was the only thing Yuki could rustle up to say for a good few seconds, "You're… _with _**him**?"

"That's right, Little Hotaru," Gaitsuko confirmed as she turned to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Though Gaitsuko is not what many would call a 'pure Miyamota', she still has the requirements to continue the line," he explained, "Which is why I have chosen her as my mate; so that she may bear me a son that possess all ten of the Miyamota abilities."


	46. Chapter FortySix: Penance

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill. Me no owner of Inu Yasha.

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**Chapter Forty-Six: Penance**

Yuki couldn't believe her ears. So all of Naraku's plans and intentions had finally come out into the open; he was planning on killing all of these Miyamotas so that their souls and powers could be reborn into a single child. His child… the one that he was going to make Gaitsuko bear. But before Yuki could think on the subject anymore, yet even more people were added to the company of the courtyard. One was an apathetic Yoita, carrying a sheathed sword in his hands. The other newcomer was Ichiro, carrying a limp Kazuhiko over his shoulder.

Upon stopping, Ichiro laid down his burden gently onto the ground, so that he was facing up. "Lord Naraku," he said as he kneeled down, "Please allow me to give him the antidote now… the poison is spreading faster than I had anticipated. He won't last much longer like this."

Naraku looked down at the still man, his brow soaked with sweat and his muscles limp from weariness. The fowl demon nodded in answer. "We might as well make his last few minutes bearable," Naraku commented as Ichiro drew out a small vile and lifted his brother's arm. Then, with a claw on his finger he made a small niche in on Kazuhiko's wrist, a small trickle of blood coming out. That's when Ichiro placed the cut on top of the mouth of the vile and turned both things over so that the antidote was now upside-down and leaking into Kazuhiko's blood stream.

"Alert us when he begins to show signs of consciousness," Naraku ordered, "That is when we will begin his transformation. For now, we will have to work on Yuki…"

"Wait!" Yuki interrupted, "I still have a few more questions…"

This further delay caused Naraku to give a sigh of impatience as he released his mate and went towards Yuki. "Fine," he replied, "But only a few more. My patience is wearing thin."

"The questions are for them," Yuki announced as she turned to where Ichiro and Yoita kneeled.

They both instantly became aware and exchanged confused and surprised glances before turning their attention back to the woman. "Yes?" Ichiro questioned.

"What is it Miss Yuki?" added Yoita.

"I want you to explain everything to me," she requested, "Tell me why you lied to me. Why did you betray the trust I allowed you?"

Both men were silent for a few moments as they let the shame sink in. "I owe you no explanation," Ichiro retorted though as he dropped his negative feeling, "I already told you: the council denied me a throne, Naraku has offered me a different one."

Everyone was silent for a few moments more before Yoita began his tale. "It's been a long time since I swore into Naraku's employment," he started, "At first, I thought that he was simply a demon lord like any other. He promised me power and strength; enough to take down hoards of demons. At the time, I needed that power in order to fulfill my family's duty of becoming a Guardian.

"I did this without anyone else knowing until that day that I was found out by a servant of Lord Raikou's. That was the day that I discovered that Naraku was evil in the first place. At the time, it had only been a month before Mimi and I were supposed to wed. So after I was banned from that palace, I told Naraku that I had wanted to quit so that I might have a chance of being accepted again into the castle and see Mimi again. Naraku thought differently though; I knew too much. That's why he killed me."

Yuki's gasped at this. Yoita had been killed? But how could that be? "Of course, about a year later, he resurrected me, using this Shikon Jewel shard to keep me alive," Yoita went on as he touched his fingers to the spot in the middle of his temples, "He controls my very life… without him I would die, and for a long time, I couldn't have that. I needed to live so that I could see Mimi one last time and tell her everything…" But Yoita trailed off at this, recalling his beloved.

"I've lived up to my goal now…" he said as he smiled, setting down the sword in his hand so that he might draw the one on his belt, "I have no need to obey Naraku anymore."

With that, he jumped up and lashed out at the unsuspecting demon, letting out a furious cry as they engaged in battle. "Miss Yuki!" he called as he tried to land a blow on his former lord, "There's a couple more matters before I die…"

"Yoita! What are you doing?" Yuki cried as she watched her friend fighting the fiend, actually landing blows every now and again, "Stop this right now!"

"Miss Yuki… can you ever forgive-" he had begun to say. But he was cut off as Naraku plunged his hand through his armor and into his belly, stopping him mid-sentence and mid-swing.

Yoita's body dropped to the ground just as Naraku withdrew his hand and looked down at him. "Foolish human," he said as he tried to shake the excess blood of his hand, his own leaking from his other shoulder and his lip.

"Yoita!" both Yuki and Ichiro screamed in concern. Of course, only Yuki could go to him since Ichiro was attending to his brother. "Yoita!" Yuki cried as she propped him up, tears beginning to run down her face, "You stupid idiot! Why did you do that? You knew you couldn't win!"

But the man's vacant eyes only stared at the stars above. "Miss Yuki..." he whispered as blood ran out of the corner of his mouth and down his cheek, "Just… tell me that you will forgive us."

With that, Yuki nodded feverishly nodded in confirmation. "Of course!" she replied, "But don't go, Yoita."

"I always liked you, Miss Yuki," he went on, "I'm sorry for all of the trouble I've caused. And one more thing…"

Yuki wiped away the tears in her eyes so that she could see clearly. They wouldn't stop falling though. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but feel and weep for her friend. He was not long for this world. "Yes?" Yuki asked, the lump in her throat making the formation of the single word difficult.

"Tell Mimi that I love her… but I that can't come back for her this time…"

And so he gave one last sigh, a tear rolling down his face as his brown and dull eyes lost what little life they had portrayed before. But then, Yuki suddenly couldn't feel the weight of Yoita's body any longer. It was glowing now as bits a pieces of his soul and being began to fly away, his image fading as each stream of light slowly flew away into the sky.


	47. Chapter FortySeven: At Last

**Disclaimer: **If I had a nickel for every time I said something along the lines of 'I don't own Inu Yasha', I could retire.

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**Chapter Forty-Seven: At Last…**

He was gone. Just like that… Yoita had been killed for the final time only moments ago. Yuki couldn't breathe because of the shock factor. Only a moment ago he had been in her arms as she shared her friend's final moments. Suddenly, the cold voice of Naraku broke her trance, "Ichiro… is your brother almost rejuvenated?"

With that, Yuki looked over to him, seeing that he was also in a condition of denial. But at the sound at his master's voice, he suddenly snapped awake and looked down at Kazuhiko who was just now beginning to wake up. "Nearly," Ichiro swallowed as he tried to put up his cold front, even though the tear in his eye could hardly sell it, "Just a few more moments and he should-"

"Where am I?" Kazuhiko moaned as he sat up, holding his head, "Ichiro… where have you taken me?"

"And so we may begin," Naraku announced as Gaitsuko stepped forward and went to Yuki.

"I'm going to enjoy this," the women said as she crouched down, smirking evilly at her once opponent. Before Yuki could do anything though, Gaitsuko touched her glowing fingertips to the other girl's head, paralyzing her in an instant. To Yuki, it felt like that shimmer penetrated her very mind, surrounding and encasing it. Then, there was black.

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When Yuki awoke again, she felt very drowsy. Her mind was too mellow and her body unfamiliar feeling. Slowly she lifted her head and looked around. It seemed as if she had only been out for a few minutes because Kazuhiko was still himself; totally conscious and standing.

Then, as Yuki began to try and sit up completely, she realized something strange: there was a chained collar around her neck. Her first instinct, of course, was to put her hand to it and investigate it, but somehow, she was having trouble with that. Her arms simply would not move in the way that she wanted.

So, Yuki looked down and jumped at what she saw in place of her hands: paws. Quickly she jumped up, panicking about the transformation. She began to investigate herself to attempt to configure what had become of her. First of all, she walked on all fours and had fur. A mammal of a sorts. Next, she found out that she had a tail – a long, bushy, red, white tipped tail. _'I'm a fox!'_ she exclaimed in her mind as she tried to settle down, _'But why a fox? Foxes have nothing to do with fire! Right?'_

"Ah… it seems that our little vixen has awakened," Naraku noted as he turned around to see the newest addition to the Miyamotas awaken, "Don't worry. It will all be over soon."

Then, he turned back to Kazuhiko and Gaitsuko, who was just now beginning to same process as Yuki had gone through while Ichiro held his brother still. It would appear that the antidote had taken affect sooner than they had anticipated. However, the demoness did make contact with her brother, causing him to go still as she began to pull out his own essence as well.

At that moment, Kazuhiko's form glowed white, shielding his true form from sight. Then slowly, the light died down, revealing an ice sculpture in his likeness. "So what now?" Ichiro questioned as he stared at his brother, finally letting regret unknowingly creep into his expression.

"Now it is your turn, my faithful servant," Naraku replied.

"What?" Ichiro exclaimed jumping back and staring at the other two, "We had a deal! You would let me live and keep my powers as long as I brought you the Miyamotas who did not serve you! Then I would lend my services to your son whenever need be!"

"That was the agreement," Naraku stated, "But I don't need you anymore. There is no point in letting you live any longer."

And the moment those words had been put out of his mouth, Naraku lunged towards his servant, aiming a blow straight of the young man's head. That's when Ichiro pulled a sword from his belt and held it in front of him in defense... Naraku paused simply upon seeing it.

The blade of said sword was not the silver tone of any normal weapon; it was deathly black, its dark aura so powerful that even Yuki could see it. "Kazuhiko was right," Ichiro said as he took a vengeful step towards Naraku, causing the demon to take one back and away from the sword, "You can't help me. So now there is only one question that I must ask… Why should I keep you alive?"

"You know that you can't kill me," Naraku returned, though it was a statement instead of an answer, "You were the one that served me, remember?"

"I served you because you had things that I wanted," Ichiro corrected, "You would one day have a way to give me my throne. Now that I know that my death is required for you to receive that power, I will no longer be in need of you. You know for a fact that I was never one of your puppets."

The demon did not reply to this. Instead, he kept his focus on the evil sword that Ichiro was now lowering to the ground, touching the grass with its blade. But the scary thing was, that once that dark force touched the ground, the grass and plants covering it quickly began to wither and die. "A sword containing the element of death is in my possession, Naraku," Ichiro pointed out as he raised it to examine it, "I would be pleading for my life if I were you."

Naraku ground his teeth as he glared over at Ichiro, a flaming hatred in his eyes as he saw his plan begin to fall apart. "Sword of Death, or not," he said, "I will still kill you before this night is over!"

So once again, he pounced, leaping towards the man with murder in his eyes.

But even though Ichiro was severely surprised by this sudden change of heart, he was still able to take the sword in both hands again and take a stance in time to put it in between Naraku and himself. The timing was perfect though. Naraku had not expected this quick of a reaction and was surprised and disturbed when he felt the swords end pierce through his torso and exit out his back. He remained alive for only a moment, his eyes racked with pain. Then, at last, he died.

Suddenly, Yuki noticed the little amount of red that had been in Ichiro's eyes suddenly vanished, making the man jerk back and release the sword. Then, he looked around in surprise. "Gaitsuko…" he called as he stared over at his sister, who was very much in the same confused state, "That wasn't all just a really long dream… was it?"

The girl shook her head in amazement then looked around. "I have to change them all back!" she cried as she glanced around, searching for her first subject.

"Yuki!" she cried as she went over to the fox and removed the collar, "I'm so sorry, Yuki! Please forgive me for all of this!"

And so an illumination surrounded her hand again, restoring Yuki to her proper self in a matter of moments. "You'll have to understand, Yuki," Gaitsuko explained, "I haven't been myself this entire time that I've known you. I've been awful." With that, she bowed her head.

This was a side of Gaitsuko that Yuki had never seen before! She was absolutely speechless for those few moments. "Okay…" she finally said, "But you had better get to work on restoring the others."

"Of course!" she smiled as she rose and went to the ice statue that was her brother. She went through the same process as Yuki, even though he was a bit more shocked by the transformation as he almost collapsed from the experience. Luckily, Ichiro was there to catch him.

"Are you alright, little brother?" he questioned as he righted his sibling.

Then, slowly Kazuhiko looked around at the setting, seeing Naraku's corpse in an instant. That's when he looked up at Ichiro, tears of joy as he stared into his perfectly purple eyes. "I'm fine," he said as he pulled Ichiro into an celebratory embrace, "I'm so happy that you're back… big brother."

That was all that it took for Ichiro to stiffen for an instant before returning the hug and beginning to weep himself. "It's good to be back," he replied, then he pulled away, a new pained expression on his face.

"What wrong?" Kazuhiko frowned as he noticed the change of heart, "What is it?"

"Kazuhiko… it's about Yoita…" Ichiro began.

"Yoita?" Kazuhiko repeated, "What about him?" He glanced around, searching for his good, good friend. "Where is he?" he interrogated, fear welling up in his eyes.

Ichiro looked away from Kazuhiko as new tears formed in his sibling's eyes as he quickly began to realize what had happened to his lifetime long comrade. "No…" he denied, shaking his head, "He couldn't have gone… I didn't even get to say goodbye… YOITA YOU STUPID JERK!" His screams of loss could be heard all the way outside the castle walls as he sounded his misery and anger.


	48. Chapter FortyEight: Final Sentences

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Final Sentence**

The autumn air was still and silent as the five figures stood before the grave, all deathly silent. The loss of these friends hung heavily on each and every one of their hearts, pressing down on their chests like the entire weight of the world rested upon them. Yoita, their friend and comrade, had died only a few days ago.

Yuki couldn't help but to let a tear roll down her cheek, only so that her lover, Sesshomaru could wrap an arm around her and pull her closely to him, offering his comfort as he shared her pain, or so he thought. However, Yoita had been a good friend to Yuki, so of course Sesshomaru's grief couldn't compare with her sorrow.

But still there was another who stung more than either of them; Mimi was now mourning the passing of her fiancé for the first time since this was the only death that she had known of. It was strange though in Yuki's opinion. How could Mimi be so strong? When the servant had first heard the news, she hardly showed any emotion at all. She had simply frozen in that moment in time, as still as stone until that first tear escaped her eyes, only to be followed by many more. This was the first time in two days that she had been able to come without completely breaking down and sobbing.

And even though Mimi's pain was great, Yuki was still unsure if she was truly the one to suffer the most. After all, there was Kazuhiko to consider. It was in this consideration that she looked over at the ice demon as he stared emotionlessly down at the marker with flowers and weapons to decorate it. After his scene at Naraku's castle, Kazuhiko had not spoken. Once he had calmed down, he had simply sat in one place before Ichiro could convince him to come back to his home.

But finally, he spoke for the first time in days when he said, "Yoita… you buffoon." And with that, he turned on his heel and stormed quickly away. No one else said anything after that. Instead, the all began to slowly go away. First was Ichiro, following his brother to probably console him. That was when Sesshomaru took his cue, silently urging Yuki to go with him so that Mimi could be alone. And it was with this thought in mind that she agreed to leave with him, heading back inside the castle.

It wasn't even a minute though before a servant came running up to the couple. "Lord Sesshomaru!" she bowed in greeting, "Miss Yuki! The Council is waiting for you both!"

"Now?" Yuki questioned, "Couldn't this wait?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but they are becoming impatient," the servant bowed again in apology, "They are already irritable since judgment had already been delayed drastically by the unexpected… turn of events. Then there was the day of rest that they allowed you so…"

"We understand," Sesshomaru stopped her, "We will go to them straight away."

And so the servant gave one last bow and hurried off. That's when Sesshomaru turned to Yuki and looked deeply into her eyes and said, "Do you think that you are ready?"

Even the attack of nerves that Yuki was suddenly hit by couldn't stop her from doubting herself. "I'm ready," she replied, "Let's go."

Sesshomaru nodded and they were on their way. When they arrived, it seemed as if something were already in session; Ichiro and Gaitsuko were standing before the Council and Gaitsuko's head hung to hide her face while Ichiro faced the future with a brave and proud front. "So you admit to being guilty of your crimes?" a member said as Sesshomaru and Yuki sat amongst the crowd to wait for their turn.

"We do," the demoness replied for both of them, "But we've told you: Naraku put us into a trance!"

"But there is no proof that it was indeed a trance instead of you simply lying to us now," another man pointed out, "It is very hard for me to believe that Naraku could have maintained such control over you for so long; that sort of spell is a serious form of magic."

"I don't know how he did it," Gaitsuko defended, "But I'm sure that it was a trance of some sort."

"It's true, my lords," Ichiro confirmed, "I'm sure that there are multiple people here that would second that fact for us."

"If you are so confident, maybe we should test it," one of the Council members suggested, "If the majority of the Council agrees with you, then we will set you free."

"I agree," Raikou concurred, "All in favor of excusing their crimes…"

Five hands were raised, including Lord Raikou's. "All of those who oppose…" he called, signaling five other hands to go into the air. "Someone did not vote…" Raikou announced as he looked from side to side at the others. Usually, there would be twelve members. But now that one of the members was on trial and not able to participate there were eleven. Ten had voted. "I believe it was Lord Kazuhiko who did not vote," a voice from the crowd called.

Suddenly, all eyes were on the young lord who was sitting calmly at the end of his row, his arms folded in his sleeves as he stared back at everyone. Finally, his silence was enough. "Well?" Raikou nearly demanded, "What do you say, son?"

There was something different about Kazuhiko, Yuki could tell. There was a darker aura about him than usual as no authority fazed him. So, he simply turned his head towards his father and raised his eyebrows. "You would like my opinion then?" he asked as he slowly turned to his brother, "Then I will give it."

A small pause commenced as the siblings stared at each other, blocking out the rest of the world. Then Kazuhiko began to speak again. "I cannot say whether you were both truly under any sort of trance or not," he began, "But what I do think is that it was not that way in the beginning. You both went to him of your own accord, and that I know is unforgivable." He raised his hand in a signal of voting. "May you reap what you sowed."

"Brother," Ichiro whispered his pain of betrayal, although this single word was heard by hardly anyone as Raikou dominated and demanded all of the attention once again.

"Ichiro… Gaitsuko…" he began, his voice seeming just as pained as his eldest son's, "I sentence you to exile. You are from now on stripped of your titles and banished out of this territory. This punishment will be set by tomorrow."

Conversation instantly started up as the trial was brought to an end, the two demons hurrying out of that place in shame and pain.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Miss Yuki…" Raikou said as the next case began, "You have completed your summer training, is that correct?"

"Yes," Yuki replied simply with a nod.

"And do you think that this training has given you a handle on your abilities?" the judge questioned.

"Yes, my lord, I do," Yuki answered.

"And do you think the same Kazuhiko?" Raikou called to his son, "After all, to watch her progress is the reason I sent you in the first place."

The young prince had no trouble finding his words now though. "She has an excellent handle on her abilities," Kazuhiko confirmed, "In fact, I believe her to be a prodigy."

"A prodigy, hm?" Raikou went on, stroking his chin, "This is sounds promising. In that case, I see no reason why these two-"

"Wait, my lord," a stickler interrupted, "I believe that we have overlooked one matter."

"And what matter is that?" Sesshomaru questioned, seeming slightly annoyed at the upbringing of yet another delay.

"In our first meeting, we found three problems," the man went on, "Her eligibility, her powers, and her status. We have only solved two of those problems with yet another one to address."

"He's right," another man agreed, "It is the law and it would be very dishonorable for a lord's first wife to be of a different class than himself, especially if it is a lower one."

"Could I have permission to speak freely, my lords?" Sesshomaru requested.

"Granted," Raikou answered.

"Well, frankly I don't care whether it would be honorable or not to marry Yuki," Sesshomaru announced, "Honor was the last thing on my mind when I first realized I wanted to take her as my bride. I love this woman and I wouldn't surrender or trade her for anything else in the world. I would gladly give up honor if it meant I could be with her."

"Bold words, Lord Sesshomaru," Raikou smiled, "I can tell that you obviously love her… but the law is the law. You must marry a female of your own ranking or else be brought down to her's. So what will it be?"

"But she is of this class," Kazuhiko called before Sesshomaru could answer, "Lady Yuki is a noble by blood, if not by upbringing."

"What are you talking about, Lord Kazuhiko?" one of the Council members questioned.

"Recently, I have realized something," he explained, "Years ago I vowed to myself that I would not marry or have children until Naraku was slain. Well, in the future, he is of course dead and I have had a daughter. My daughter stands before me, come from the future where I have fathered her."

"Are you telling me that Miss Yuki will one day be your daughter?" Raikou gasped as he harbored a similar sort of surprise that everyone else held, especially Yuki.

"Yes," he replied, "Yuki will one day be my daughter."

"Well…" one of the Council tried to begin, but words had seemed to leave him, "I don't think we have any more reason to object…"

"Yes…" Raikou agreed, still in a half state of shock, "No reason at all. Lord Sesshomaru… Lady Yuki… may your future together be blessed!"


	49. Epilogue

It was a beautiful day in the gardens considering the fact that it was mid autumn. And though the sun was out and shining, the air was cool and refreshing to the guests that were attending the wonderful event on this special day that was October 1st. A woman dressed in many layers of kimono had a unique expression on her face: disgust and defeat for this wedding. That's right. This woman was no one else other than Sesshomaru's mother and though she still disliked her future daughter-in-law, previous events had convinced her to be there. Of course, that is another story altogether.

Another guest that drew curious eyes was no one else other than Sango in a fine kimono, looking through some strange contraption that apparently captured everything it saw so that it could be viewed later. Yuki had brought it back from the future so that the pictures could be delivered back home. She had also brought something else called a camera that Sango was also in charge of. Like the first device, it captured moments. The camera only captured one at a time though and was to be used later for wedding pictures.

However, regardless of any of these distractions, there was one person in particular who was not as relaxed as his guests were; the groom. Yes, it was indeed true the beneath his regular calm expression that Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands was actually a nervous wreck. What if he really _was_ making a mistake by marrying Yuki? She was a human after all and demons were never supposed to marry into human lines! What would become of his heirs? They would most likely all be half demons like his brother! They would be teased, ridiculed, and even shunned by all because the poor children would have no specific place in the world. Maybe this was a mistake…

"How you holdin' up, fluffball?" Inu Yasha whispered out of the corner of his mouth as he stood beside Sesshomaru as his best man.

"What sort of question is that?" came the reply, "I am perfectly fine."

"C'mon, Sesshomaru! Don't try and lie to me! You've been glancing around and fidgeting for the passed ten minutes!"

"It's because we've been waiting this long at all that I am uneasy!" Sesshomaru countered, "How much longer will we have to wait?"

And as if on cue, the music in the background began to play the first few notes that would bring in the rest of the wedding ensemble. First came the flower girl, Rin, in an orange-red kimono that seemed to match the trees themselves. Then bride's maids stepped onto the scene. The all looked so nice! No ugly, poorly picked dresses for them! These outfits were made of the finest yellow, orange, and red silks that any noble could buy so that they may honor both bride and season. And though many were in awe over these girls, Sesshomaru was still not set at ease.

Suddenly, a few notes sang out, beginning the song that Sesshomaru had anticipated and dreaded the entire day, ever since he had woken up. And just as all were arising, the bridegroom turned to his best man, panic finally showing on his face. "She's coming!" he whispered frantically, "How do I look?"

The younger brother looked his half sibling up and down in serious concentration, dusting something off of the shoulder of his black kimono and then going to fix a strand of silver hair that had come out of place from his loose ponytail. "You're good," he finally approved so that they could both return their attention to the ceremony.

Off in the near distance, the white gossamer curtains of the palace parted as if by an invisible force, only to reveal Kazuhiko in a navy blue robe, his future daughter and the co-star of this wedding on his arm, dressed in a white gown, embroidered with flowers and other beautiful things. Upon first sight of his future wife, Sesshomaru stopped worrying. How on earth could anyone think he could despair as he had been now that the mere sight of Yuki had taken his breath away? He couldn't even yet see her and already he could remember every reason that he ever loved her.

Everything seemed to slow down as he watched his beloved come towards him, her smile apparent even behind her veil. Yuki was truly beautiful that day; absolutely glowing. It seemed during these few moments that this dog demon was on cloud nine and that he would probably never come done. But this silent trance ended with the music; luckily the happiness stayed. "And who gives this woman to this man?" the monk Miroku, friend of Inu Yasha and rival to Sesshomaru asked.

"As her future father, I give this woman to him," Kazuhiko answered, his expression completely serious, his emotional guard up more than usual. But still he handed Yuki away so that she could take Sesshomaru's hand instead, staring up into his golden eyes as he stared down into her violet pools.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the holy union of this man and this woman," Miroku began, "But if there is anyone here who would object to them, please keep it to yourself because none of us really care."

Over to the side, Inu Yasha tried to sustain his laughter while the couple of the day shot warning glances at the monk, who was now playfully smiling back at them as he began to have fun at this enemy's wedding. "May we have the rings?" Miroku went on, causing Shippo to rush up bearing a silk and lace pill that harbored the two rings. Both Sesshomaru and Yuki took the other's ring into their hands and awaited instruction.

"Sesshomaru," the monk went on, "Do you take this fantastic, beautiful, wonderful woman to be your wife and mate, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

With that, Sesshomaru lifted Yuki's hand gently to his mouth, kissing it lovingly before staring back down into her face over her hand and answered, "I do." Then he slipped the wedding band onto her left ring finger.

"And Yuki," Miroku went on, "Do you take this heartless, cruel, demonic bastard to be your lord and mate, to obey and to worship, in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?"

This was the one trick that made the groom avert his gaze from his bride to glare over at the monk in astonishment, amazed that he had the gall to do such a thing. Luckily for Miroku though, Sesshomaru's vengeful thoughts were distracted by two sweet words: "I do," Yuki answered as she was now smiling at her friend's words, slipping Sesshomaru's ring onto his hand, "I do take him to be my lord and mate because he will never be that heartless, cruel, demonic bastard in my eyes."

These words could only make Miroku smile and pause for a moment as everyone else stared at the couple, the sappy words giving the crowd different reactions such as adoration or disgust. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. May you both lead long and happy lives together," Miroku praised, "Sesshomaru, you may kiss the bride."

After finally hearing those words, Sesshomaru lifted his mate's veil and kissed her, holding her closely as the music started up again and as applause started up. Then, as if this moment couldn't be magical enough, a swarm of pigeons were released so that the may fly by, beautifying the scene.

Hearing, then seeing this, Sesshomaru pulled slowly away to look at the swarm, then turned to Yuki, smiling. "I thought we agreed on not having any birds," he reminded her.

Yuki could only smile mischievously at him, explaining herself, "I couldn't resist."

Then finally they both turned and began to walk arm in arm back down the aisle, now officially husband and wife.

* * *

Sweetly the newlyweds kissed each other as the husband hovered above his bride on the bed. Both had changed into robes and were now just getting into what every couple did on their wedding night. However, Yuki used the moment that Sesshomaru pulled away from her to ask one question, "Sesshomaru… how do you feel now that it's official?"

The demon gave a sigh as he played with a strand of his wife's hair. "If my feelings have changed at all it is because I have fallen deeper in love with you," he finally replied in the softest of whispers.

Yuki smiled at the response. "I love you," she told him.

Hearing this, Sesshomaru gazed down at Yuki for only a moment before leaning down and kissing her tenderly. "I love you too," he returned before continuing the process that they had started not too long before.

In moments his hands had found the collar of the robe that she had changed into, slowly sliding it down and off of her as the seconds passed. And even though he had seemed to be enjoying himself, Sesshomaru suddenly stopped.

First realizing what had happened, Yuki began to worry. "What's wrong?" she asked, voicing her concern.

"Your mark…" Sesshomaru replied as a shaky hand traced it, "It's… begun to fade."

"What exactly does that mean?" she asked, knowing that it probably wasn't good news.

"Yuki…" Sesshomaru began as he looked from the mark to her as a smile spread across his face, "You're pregnant."

And so it was good news after all. A cherry on top of the perfect ending.

* * *

**Dulcet:** Yes, it is true. The end has come!

**Koneko:** Sort of…

**Dulcet:** You see, in case you didn't know, there's a sequel!

**Koneko:** Yep! So just right on down to our profile and read it! It's gonna be fun, fun, fun!


End file.
